Misguided Ghosts
by VoldemortIsGoingDown
Summary: "Yes, Lily," James cut her off, turning back to face her. "I did say love. I've loved you as long as I can remember ever liking girls, and I always will." In the midst of a war, they must learn to trust and love. Lily/James, Sirius/OC, Remus/Mary
1. Prologue

Author's note: Hello there! Like "Brick by Boring Brick", this story is named after a Paramore song. As the story continues, it should become obvious why I chose this title. I urge you all to listen to Paramore if you haven't already. Anyways, the prologue is a bit long, but it's necessary to set up the story. A little background about the prologue before we begin the story… James and Lily are in their 6th year. James deflated his head a bit, refrained from hexing Snape so much, and stopped asking Lily out so much. Over the year they have slowly become friends, and Lily has a boyfriend, whose name is Michael Wiggins. I hope you all enjoy it!

* * *

James walked silently down the corridor under his Invisibility Cloak, trying to get back to Gryffindor tower without attracting attention. He had just successfully snuck past Filch and around a corner when he heard someone crying. He stopped in his tracks, alarmed. He didn't quite want to get involved, but he also felt he could hardly just leave whoever it was by them self. Hesitantly, he crept forward to a broom closet a little ways up the corridor. He slowly opened the door and looked inside.

Lily sat there, her arms wrapped around her knees and her long red hair is disarray. Her body was shaking with sobs.

James felt his heart break as he looked at her. He had never seen perfect Lily Evans lose it like this. He had seen her get angry, yes (especially at him), but he had never seen her cry. He knelt down in front of her.

"Lily?"

She looked up at him. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her face was streaked with tears. She looked lost.

"What's wrong?" James pleaded. "Please tell me."

She took a shuddering breath and threw her arms around him. James caught her and held her, rubbing her back.

"It's okay, Lils. It's going to be okay."

She continued crying into his shoulder as she clutched at his shirt. He whispered soothing words to her, wondering what could possibly make Lily so upset. He kept his arms around her, reveling in getting to hold her for the first time. Her soft hair smelled like a bouquet of roses. Eventually, she calmed down enough to detach herself from him and wipe her eyes.

"S-sorry," Lily hiccupped.

"No, don't be sorry," James corrected her. "I hate seeing you so upset."

She put her head in her hands.

"He broke up with me," she said, her voice muffled. "Michael broke up with me."

"WHAT?"

Lily nodded.

"He- he said he wasn't happy."

"Oh, Lily," James said, putting his arm around her. "I'm so sorry."

He was truly sorry, although he was secretly ecstatic that he no longer had to be friends with her while Michael got to kiss and hold her on a regular basis. It had been excruciating.

"Thank you, James," Lily whispered, resting her head on his shoulder.

* * *

The late June afternoon sun beat down on the grounds as James lounged beneath the beech tree near the lake, reading a Muggle novel Lily had lent him. Sirius and Peter were studying for their Potions exams, and Remus was preparing for the full moon. James' thoughts were firmly wrapped up in his book when a shadow blocked the sun's glare.

"Hey, James," Lily said, smiling shyly. "Mind if I sit with you?"

James hurriedly shut his book and placed it next to him.

"Not at all!" he exclaimed, heart pounding. They had gotten a lot closer since Michael had broken up with Lily, and James had found himself hoping beyond hope that she would finally give him a chance. She had certainly become a bit more flirtatious; one night in the Common Room she had "compared hand sizes" by holding his hand.

James couldn't help but notice how her long red curls looked in the sunlight; little flecks of gold highlighted her auburn locks, which fell halfway down her back. Her eyes showed more life than they had in weeks and her cheeks were flushed. He thought she looked beautiful.

Lily caught him staring and blushed furiously.

"So- er- do you like the book?" she asked awkwardly.

James started and looked down at the novel.

"Oh, yeah. It's interesting," he replied. "Thanks for lending it to me."

"No problem," Lily assured him. "It's the least I could do."

James glanced at her curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"You've been a really good friend to me, James."

"Oh." He looked away towards the lake. A friend. He should have known. "Well, I care about you. I want you to be happy."

She fidgeted with her hair.

"You make me happy," she muttered.

"What?" James said sharply, turning to look at her.

"You make me happy," Lily repeated. "I'm sorry I didn't see it before."

James couldn't believe what he was hearing. He made Lily, Lily Evans, the love of his life, happy. He had strived to do that ever since he had met her, and the past year he had done everything in his power to get her to stop hating him. Slowly, they had become good friends. When she had started dating Michael, James was devastated. Still, he had comforted her when things with Michael got rocky, and again when it finally ended. He had hoped he'd made her feel better, but for her to say he made her happy?

"I don't know if you even still like me, so I guess I'm sorry for that too."

_Okay,_ James thought, _this has got to be a prank._

"What are you talking about?" James asked her. "Of course I still like you. I'll always like you. No matter what. But even if it's not with me, I just want you to be happy."

Lily smiled, leaving James more confused than ever.

"Well, in that case… er, I'm not really ready for a relationship yet, but I think- if you'd want to, that is- when I'm ready, I'd like to try 'us'."

If James had been walking, he would have slammed straight into a wall.

"Are you serious?"

Lily looked him in the eye.

"I wouldn't lie about this, James."

James couldn't believe it. He was finally going to get the thing he had wanted most since third year- a chance with Lily. It seemed too good to be true.

"I've wanted that for three years, Lily. I'm not going anywhere."

She beamed at him.

"Good. You're an amazing guy, James." She bent to kiss him on the cheek; his face burned where her mouth had touched him. "I've got to run," she admitted sadly. "But I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

He nodded and watched her go, her long auburn hair swinging behind her.

* * *

James was just finishing up his breakfast the next morning when he saw Lily get up from the table. She walked towards him as she hooked her bag over her shoulder. He stood up as she reached him.

"Hello," he smiled at her, but she continued past him with her head down. He stared after her, confused. Hadn't they been completely honest with each other only last night? He hurried after her, following her out onto the grounds.

"Lily!" he called, trying to stop her.

She stopped and turned around, looking at him seriously.

"We need to talk."

James stopped in his tracks.

"What's up?" he asked nervously.

Lily ran her hand over her face and took a deep breath.

"Michael and I talked last night," she explained.

"Okay…?" James asked confusedly.

Lily sighed.

"We're getting back together."

His heart stopped.

"Are you serious?"

She nodded, looking upset.

"I'm sorry, James."

"Lily, you can't! What about all that stuff you said to me yesterday?" James cried desperately.

"I know, James. I like you, I really do, but what I have with Michael is different."

"I can't believe this."

"I thought you said you wanted me to be happy!" Lily yelled angrily.

"I do!" James snapped. "But he broke your heart, Lily, and he's going to break it again! Can't you see that? You've been fighting for months! You can't do this!"

"I'm sorry, James," Lily said with a note of finality. "But I've made my decision."

"Fine." James felt empty, broken. "Goodbye." He turned and walked slowly away from her.

"Wait, James!" she called after him. "I don't want to lose you!"

"I'm sorry, Lily," he repeated her words from earlier. "I can't be friends with you when I love you so much."

"Did you just say-?"

"Yes, Lily," James cut her off, turning back to face her. "I did say love. I've loved you as long as I can remember ever liking girls, and I always will."

"James-"

"Just… be happy, okay?"

"I am," Lily said simply.

He walked away, and for the first time in his life, James Potter cried.

* * *

Author's note: What did you think? I'd love to hear your opinions on what went down between Lily and James. Keep in mind that about a month went by between Michael and Lily's break up and the scene by the lake. Reviews are appreciated! See you soon


	2. Werewolves, Secrets, and Badges, Oh My!

Author's Note: Hello again! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! I hope you all like this chapter.

* * *

_Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing._

James rolled over and shoved his head under his pillow, trying to shut out the sound of his alarm clock. As it continued ringing, a pillow hit his bed and bounced off onto the floor.

"Oi, Prongs, shut that bloody clock off!" a muffled voice groaned from across the room.

"You shut it off!" James called back, burrowing deeper into his blankets. "It's closer to you."

"It's your bloody clock!"

"Boys!" another voice, this one belonging to Mrs. Potter, snapped. "Get up; Remus will be here in an hour!"

James groaned and slowly sat up. He groped for his glasses on his bedside table and shoved them on before chucking the pillow back at the bed next to him.

"Wake up! If you want breakfast before Moony gets here and we go to Diagon Alley, you've got to get up!"

The second James said "breakfast", Sirius had rolled out of his bed and onto the floor. James grinned to himself as his best friend jumped up.

"FOOD!" Sirius yelled enthusiastically, bounding for the door.

"I'm getting dressed first, Padfoot," James said, grabbing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt off the floor.

"Good point, mate," Sirius allowed, and opened his trunk.

* * *

A soft breeze ruffled James' hair as he finished his toast, the bright summer's day clear and warm. James and Sirius sat on the balcony of the Potter Mansion, Sirius shoveling vast quantities of food into his mouth at alarming rates. The branches of the trees surrounding the large property waved lazily in the wind. An empty chair sat waiting on James' other side.

"Whenes 'ooneh geddinere?" Sirius asked through a mouthful of food.

James laughed.

"Chew, swallow, _then_ speak, Padfoot," James instructed. "Can't understand a word you're saying."

Sirius swallowed and glared at him.

"When. Is. Moony. Getting. Here?"

"Oh I don't know… now?" a voice said from behind them.

"MOONY!" James and Sirius shouted in unison. They leapt out of their chairs, clapped him on the back, and ruffled his hair before allowing them to sit down. Remus laughed, but he looked exhausted. His pale face was covered in scratches, and there was a bite mark half hidden by his sleeve.

"So, Moony, how've you been?" Sirius asked, shoveling more food into his mouth. Remus shook his head. James thought he looked ill, drawn. He was very concerned for his friend's health, and worried about how Remus had faired without them at the full moon.

"Dad's been working extremely late all the time," Remus informed them. "All the Aurors have their work cut out for them because of Voldemort."

There was a tense silence. The subject of Voldemort was not a pleasant subject, especially since Sirius' brother Regulus had just joined up early in the summer. James knew that Regulus' pledge to the Dark Lord had been Sirius' final straw with his family.

"Er-" James said, looking warily at Sirius' face, which looked haunted and angry. He hastily changed the subject. "So, erm, what have you been up to, Moony?"

"Homework, reading," the werewolf replied predictably. His friends groaned in unison.

"Oh come on," Remus defended himself. "I had to finish it, and it just sort of happens when you're hanging out with Lily-"

_Clang._

James dropped his fork and stared at Remus.

"WHAT?"

Remus looked horrified.

"Mate, I'm sorry, I forgot I hadn't told you," Remus explained hurriedly. "She lives near me, you know, and she was having a rough time-"

"_She_ was having a rough time?" James burst out angrily. "_She_ was?"

James was furious. After the events that had taken place at the end of their 6th year, James had been a hollow shell. He barely ate anything and he had spent most days locked in his room, refusing to come out for anything. It was only when Sirius had shown up that James had snapped out of it. For Remus to take her side on this was a huge blow.

"What, was she having trouble picking out her wedding dress?" James asked sarcastically.

Remus sighed. Sirius had stopped eating and was watching James warily.

"Mate, there's something you should know," Remus began. "They're not together."

James stared at him.

"What?"

"Lily thought they had gotten back together, but they hadn't- well, I guess Michael decided that's not what he actually wanted, so…"

"How can you think you've gotten back together with someone but actually not?" Sirius demanded.

"I don't know, Sirius, but she's pretty torn up about it," Remus shrugged. He turned to James. "And she feels awful, James, about what happened. She misses you. She asked me just the other day if I thought you would consider being her friend again."

James looked at his hands. _Her friend. Again, that's all she wants from me, he thought to himself. Can I do it?_

"What did you tell her?" Sirius asked, glancing at James.

"I told her that she had hurt you really badly, James, but you might consider it."

"What are you gonna do, Prongs?" Sirius asked quietly.

_She broke your heart, _one part of him said_. She doesn't deserve anything from you._

_But she's Lily, _the other part of him said_. You love her. You'd do _anything_ for her. _

The latter part of James internal struggle won out.

"If a friend is what she needs, that's what she'll get."

Remus smiled at him, and Sirius contemplated his friend seriously.

"Can you handle that?" Sirius inquired, a little worried.

"Sure," James said in a reassuring tone, trying to convince himself as much as his friends.

* * *

"Boys, your Hogwarts letter came!" Mrs. Potter said when they went into the kitchen, passing them with a basket of laundry.

James took them from her, regarding the familiar parchment with green ink fondly.

"Thanks, Mum," he said, handing two of the letters to his friends as they sat down at the kitchen table. "Come on, Moony; let's see if you got the badge!" James teased.

Sirius and James watched eagerly as Remus opened his letter slowly. He went through each individual piece of parchment before shaking his head.

"Bad luck, Moony!" Sirius cried, patting Remus on the head. "I bet that prat from Hufflepuff, Amos Diggory, got it."

The three boys laughed as Sirius and James opened their own letters. James passed by the letter telling him about the train and looked over his booklist.

"Hey!" Sirius exclaimed happily. "I'm Quidditch Captain!" He waved the badge in front of him.

"Nice one!" James congratulated him, as Remus said, "You've got equal status with Prefects now!"

They sat in silence for a few moments as they read their letters, and James flipped the parchment over, revealing an extra sheet.

Dear Mr. Potter,

I am delighted to inform you that you have been selected for the position of Head Boy at Hogwarts this year. This is a highly esteemed position, giving you the ability to dock House points, give out detentions, arrange school events, and work closely with the teachers, prefects, and Head Girl to ensure the smooth running of the school. You will patrol the corridors three times a week with the Head Girl, and you must stay in the front of the Hogwarts Express in the Prefects carriage, in case anyone needs your assistance.

The Head Boy and Girl get their own dormitories, located in the seventh floor corridor behind the portrait of Merlin. The password is "Felix Felicis".

I look forward to working with you this year.

Yours sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

James stared at the letter. Head Boy? Was Dumbledore off his rocker?

"Oi, Prongs, what's that?" Sirius said, grabbing the letter out of his hands. He read it quickly, his face becoming more and more astonished. "No way."

"What is it?" Remus asked, craning for a look at it. Sirius handed it to him, still looking shocked.

"I guess Diggory didn't get it after all, eh, Prongs?" Remus laughed, handing the letter back to him. James shook his head.

"It should be you, Moony, not me."

"Dumbledore'll have his reasons," Remus said wisely. "Go on, let's see the badge."

James reached into his envelope and found the small, metal badge. It was gold with "HB" engraved in large letters. The three boys stared at it, wondering what could possibly have made Dumbledore choose James, and who he'd have to share a dormitory with for the next year.

* * *

Author's Note: What did you all think? Like it? Hate it? I'd love to hear! I'd love to hear opinions on what I can do better, too; I'm always looking to improve my writing! Next chapter we'll be off to Hogwarts, we'll see what Peter's been up to all summer, and we'll get our next glimpse of Lily! See you soon!


	3. Repairing Bridges

Author's Note: Hello everyone! Thank you to all who reviewed, and especially to Katie Travanion, Lina Cross, and dancergirl7! I hope you all like this one.

* * *

"Prongs, mate, stop fiddling with your badge!" Sirius groaned. James dropped his hand and looked guiltily at his friend. Remus glared at Sirius.

"It's alright, Prongs, don't be nervous," Remus assured him. "Dumbledore knows what he's doing."

James smiled gratefully at him, but truthfully that was not the reason he was nervous. As he dragged his trunk onto the train after his friends, he worried to himself about how he would be able to be friends with Lily. He had convinced his friends that he would be able to manage it without incident, but he was not so sure. He checked his watch and sighed. In twenty minutes the train would leave, which meant that he should get up to the Prefects carriage.

"Guys, I have to go up to the Prefects' carriage," James called reluctantly. "I'll see you all later."

Remus patted his shoulder sympathetically.

"I'll be up in time for the meeting, Prongs," the other boy said. James nodded and walked miserably towards the front of the train.

The corridors were packed with students, most of them in Muggle clothing, greeting their friends and trying to find compartments. James pushed through the crowd, occasionally hailed by various students. He smiled and waved to them, using the time to put on his "public face"- the one he wore around other students, showing them that James Potter had everything under control. By the time he reached the Prefects compartment, he was feeling marginally more cheerful. Just acting happy had made him feel a little better.

He sat down on a seat in the sunlit carriage and looked around. Because it had to fit all the Prefects plus the Head Boy and Girl, the Prefects' carriage had not been divided up into compartments. Instead, seats lined the entire carriage and a large table stood in the center, which had a pile of parchment stacked on it. No sooner had he taken in his surroundings when the carriage door slid open, and James looked up.

Lily stood in the doorway, looking surprised, awkward, and pleased simultaneously. Her long red hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail and her bright green eyes were illuminated in her densely freckled face. A golden badge was pinned to the strap of her tank top.

"Er… hi, James," Lily said, fiddling with the fraying hem on her denim shorts.

"Hi, Lils," James grinned at her. His use of her nickname made her smile. "How was your summer?" It surprised him how easy it was to talk to her, even after everything that had transpired between them.

Lily moved further into the carriage and sat down a few seats from him.

"It was alright," she sighed. "I've had better."

"So have I," James admitted. Lily immediately looked guilty.

"James, I'm so, so sor-"

"Don't," James cut her off. "You don't need to apologize."

She looked stricken.

"Of course I do! I was awful, stupid-"

"Lily. It's fine. I understand. I don't necessarily like it, but I get it."

In reality, James did not understand her decision at all. That was one reason it had been so hard on him; she had changed her mind completely out of the blue. However, he desperately wanted things to go back to normal, and discussing the events that lurked in the back of their minds like an acromantula in the Forbidden Forest would just make being Lily's friend more difficult.

"Thank you," Lily whispered. She held her arms hesitantly. James scooted over and hugged her, breathing in her perfume. It was intoxicating.

They separated as the Prefects started arriving. Lily and James exchanged a smile and got up to get the list of passwords and patrol nights from the table in the center.

* * *

_REMUS' POINT OF VIEW _

By the time I arrived at the Prefects' carriage, it was already mostly full. I took an empty seat by the window next to a sixth year Gryffindor Prefect named Emmeline Vance. I caught Michael Wiggins' eye from across the table and I shot him a nasty glare. He smiled serenely back at me. Stupid Hufflepuff thinks he's so above everyone else. One day he's going to wake up and _find_ that he regrets what he did to Lily.

As I looked around at the other students that filled the compartment, I noticed the Slytherins sitting together in the corner. Severus Snape was, as usual, staring at Lily, who did not seem to notice. She was too busy laughing and talking with James; I was glad to see they were getting along. No sooner had I thought this than they turned to face the assembled students.

"Hello, everyone," Lily beamed around at all of us. "For those of you who don't know us, I'm Lily Evans, and this is James Potter. We're Head Girl and Boy this year."

There was a smattering of applause, a few "Congratulations!" and annoyed mutterings from the Slytherin corner. James shot them an icy glare that silenced them instantly.

"Now, we realize that some of you may not like us or be happy with Dumbledore's decision. However," James stared around us with a seriousness that I had never seen before, "You're stuck with us. Together, we have to work to make sure the school runs smoothly and set an example for the younger students. We're going to have to put our differences aside, especially in light of the times ahead, and work towards a common goal."

I was impressed. Usually James just joked his way into people's favor; I had wondered how he planned to command a room as Head Boy considering joking was not an effective method in the position. In the half hour he had been in the carriage, James seemed to have accepted his responsibility and internalized it. Together, Lily and James would be a force to reckon with.

* * *

Sirius I made our way onto the platform, battling smaller students as we made our way towards the carriages. We searched the growing crowd, looking for the familiar messy black hair that marked our missing best friend.

"Where is he?" Sirius whined impatiently. "I'm hungry."

I rolled my eyes at him, and turned my attention the long line of carriages. I caught a glimpse of a tall, black haired boy waiting for a carriage with a girl with long, auburn hair. I shook my head and grabbed Sirius' arm.

"Looks like he didn't wait for us," I informed him, pointing to where James and Lily were now getting into the carriage. Sirius groaned and pulled me towards a carriage.

"Where's Peter, anyway?" he asked as the carriage started out towards the castle.

I shrugged, wondering why the other boy had not shown up to sit with us on the train.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Who noticed the AVPM humor I stuck in there? I had to, I couldn't help myself. What did you all think of the trip into Remus' POV? I wanted to show Lily and James' repaired friendship from an outsider's eyes. Also, I have a question for you- what would you think of a chapter focusing more on Lily and her friends? Yes? No? I'd love to hear your opinion! Reviews are greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading! :)


	4. Secrets

Author's Note: Hello there everyone! Long time no chat! Sorry I've taken so long to update, I've been far too busy for my own good. Thank you so much to all of you who reviewed- it means a lot! In other news, I've decided I really like writing from 1st person rather than 3rd person, so you'll be seeing 1st person starting with this chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

_**LILY'S POV**_

I finally felt at home as I walked with James through the large oak doors into the Great Hall. It looked magnificent as always. The golden place settings gleamed in the glow of the hundreds of candles that floated serenely above the four House tables. We walked to the Gryffindor table, which was furthest from the doors. I looked inquiringly at my companion as I was hailed by my three friends further down the table. He shrugged as if to say "Why not?" and I hurried to sit with the other girls, James tagging along behind me.

"Lily!" they shrieked in unison, reaching to hug me in greeting. I grinned and drank in the sight of them after not seeing them all summer.

Alice Johnson looked the same as always, her blonde bangs falling into her hazel eyes, which stood out in her round face. She was already chatting animatedly at Mary Macdonald, whose chocolate brown curls were tied back with a pink ribbon. She nodded along with Alice's chatter, but her brown eyes were already on the more studious Marauder, who had just arrived with Sirius. When she caught his eye she blushed furiously and knocked over her goblet. Mary, like me, was Muggle-born, and she'd always had a bit of a crush on Remus. Beside him, Sirius was trying to get the attention of one Selena Hathaway, who was studiously ignoring him beside me.

Selena was, essentially, the girl version of Sirius. She came from one of the ancient, Slytherin pureblood families as well, though like Sirius she did not stand for any of the blood status mania and had rebelled by being sorted into Gryffindor. Although she had not been kicked out, it was obvious that Selena was not welcome at home and opted to stay with Mary, Alice or I during holidays. She had long, pin straight black hair that accentuated her electric blue eyes, which were framed by dark lashes that contrasted vividly against her pale skin. Tall and thin, she moved with a grace that befitted a princess. Most of the boys at Hogwarts flocked to her, and Sirius Black was no different.

"He's still staring at me, isn't he," Selena said resignedly, turning to us. Mary and Alice glanced at her, Sirius, and back again before laughing and nodding.

"Do you really expect anything else?" Mary quipped, her dark eyes dancing with humor.

"Honestly, Lena, you'd think you wouldn't have to ask by now," Alice shook her head sadly in mock disappointment.

Selena shot our friends a frosty look before turning to the boys.

"Oi, Black!" she snapped, her blue eyes flashing dangerously as the Marauders all turned to stare at her. "Pop your eyes back inside your head and ogle your pudding if you want something to stare at!"

He shook his hair out of his eyes and grinned at her.

"Right, Hathaway, like you don't stare right back," Sirius challenged. Remus rolled his eyes at his friend while James grinned apologetically at me. Peter, who had evidently just joined them, just sat there looking awkward.

I glanced at my friend, who wore a murderous expression on her face.

"As if I would want to spend any more time looking at you than I have to," she scoffed. "I'd rather like to be able to eat my supper without feeling nauseous, thanks!"

Sirius feigned shock and clutched his heart.

"Ouch, that hurts!" he mocked her.

"Oh, really?" she asked coolly. "I'm surprised you were able to feel anything through your overly large ego!"

Sirius opened his mouth to retaliate, but luckily the first years entered with Professor McGonagall.

"Thank God," Selena said, turning back to us. "He is such a prat."

I smiled slyly at her.

"Oh, come off it, Lena," I told her. "You know you don't really hate him!"

She stared at me.

"How do you reckon?"

I exchanged a knowing look with Mary and Alice.

"Oh, nothing," we chorused, turning to face the front as the Sorting Hat began to sing.

I smiled inwardly to myself. _One day, we are going to get Lena to admit her secret love for Sirius, _I vowed_._

* * *

_**JAMES' POV**_

I elbowed Sirius in the side, trying to pull his attention away from the girls.

"What?" he hissed, turning to glare at me. I rolled my eyes at him and flicked my eyes to Peter, who was morosely staring at his plate. Remus caught our look and also turned his attention to our friend, who had been strangely absent for the train ride.

"Wormtail, mate, where've you been?" Sirius inquired.

Peter started and looked up at us.

"Oh- erm, I had to, erm, get dropped off by my parents late a bit ago," he said uncertainly.

We stared at him.

"Why?" Remus asked him, looking concerned. "Did something- you know- happen?"

We waited silently for an answer. Voldemort was getting more and more powerful, but none of our families had been the victims of an attack yet, thank Merlin. If Peter's had, it would affect all of us deeply.

"No- no!" Peter squeaked. "We were just, erm, late getting back from our trip."

We all stared at him in disbelief.

"You went on a trip this summer and didn't tell us?" I said incredulously. "Where?"

Peter looked alarmed.

"I didn't- I just- we went to America!" he cried wildly. "It was nice-"

The Gryffindor table erupted in applause as Marcus Davies became the first Gryffindor, effectively silencing our conversation. The four of us slowly turned to face the front, Sirius, Remus and I still regarding Peter doubtfully. The mousy boy had never lied to us before, but I could not shake the feeling that he was keeping something from us.

* * *

"- anyone interested in Quidditch trials should give their names to their Head of House. I think those are all the announcements for today," Dumbledore said, beaming around at all of us. "Off to bed! Pip pip!"

I stood up and tapped Lily on the shoulder, drawing her attention away from Alice.

"Sorry, Alice," I smiled guiltily for interrupting her. "Fancy finding the Heads' dormitory, Lily?"

She smiled and swung her red curls over her shoulder.

"Sure, James. Bye, guys," she said apologetically. "I'll see you at breakfast."

We walked side by side up the marble staircase, keeping up and easy banter as we made our ways through the halls. It was easier than I thought it would be to pretend like I was perfectly fine with being her friend. Maybe it wouldn't be such a difficult year. After taking a shortcut behind a tapestry that led to the seventh floor, Lily located the portrait of Merlin easily. She strode up to it and turned to me.

"Ready?" she asked hesitantly.

I nodded.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I joked. I stepped up beside her, wondering what the dormitory would be like.

Lily took a deep breath and closed her green eyes for a moment.

"_Felix_ _Felicis_," she said clearly, regarding the portrait seriously.

"In moderation only!" Merlin said sternly, before swinging forward.

I heard Lily gasp as my mouth fell open in utter shock.

* * *

Author's Note: So there is my first chapter with only first person. Personally, I just like it much better, because it's easier to see their thoughts and everything. I find it easier to write that way. Anyways, hope you all enjoyed it, and reviews are greatly appreciated!


	5. Beyond the Portrait of Merlin

_Author's Note: I am a terrible liar. I told a couple of you that this would be posted yesterday. Unfortunately, I just wasn't able to get it up, so I apologize profusely. Thank to all who reviewed, especially Katie Travanion and dancergirl7. I hope you all are enjoying the story so far. Here's the next chapter!_

* * *

_**JAMES' POV**_

_FROM CHAPTER THREE:_

_Lily took a deep breath and closed her green eyes for a moment. _

"_Felix Felicis," she said clearly, regarding the portrait seriously. _

"_In moderation only!" Merlin said sternly, before swinging forward._

_I heard Lily gasp as my mouth fell open in utter shock._

"It's- amazing," Lily breathed, climbing through the portrait hole. I scrambled after her.

The portrait opened on a large common room that was painted a pale yellow. The plush carpet was a deep red that matched the Gryffindor tapestry on the wall. A fire crackled merrily against one wall, a red quilted couch and two arm chairs facing it, separated by a mahogany coffee table. A small, round table was sat on the other side of the room, surrounded by elegantly carved wooden chairs. A stair case was situated against the back wall, which I could only assume led to our rooms. I turned to Lily, who was examining the books on one of the shelves.

"Wow," I exclaimed, grinning at her. "It really puts the Gryffindor common room to shame, doesn't it?"

She nodded and turned her attention to the staircase.

"Shall we go up?" she asked, her green eyes sparkling.

"Sure," I said, mock bowing. "After you, my lady."

She laughed and slapped me playfully.

"You're so full of it, James."

I followed her up the stairs to where two doors led off of a small landing.

* * *

_**LILY'S POV**_

James and I darted into our respective rooms. My room was a painted off-white with lavender trim. A queen-sized, four poster bed sat against the back wall, a violet comforter folded back neatly. A desk sat in the corner next to the open door of the closet. I leapt onto the bed happily; it was extremely comfortable and the down-feather pillows puffed up around me. I jumped to my knees and gazed out the window, pushing aside the light purple curtains.

"Lily?"

I whirled around, startled, and promptly fell off the bed. James stood in a doorway opposite the closet, laughing at me.

"Something funny?" I asked him, miffed.

He adopted a very solemn expression.

"No, not at all," he assured me. I stood up and brushed off the back of my robes, glancing curiously at the door he had just come out of.

"Where does that lead?"

"Our bathroom," James explained, shoving the door open wider and leading me inside.

It was huge, tiled floor to ceiling in black and white stone. A counter ran the length of one wall, containing two gleaming golden sinks and two mirrors set above it. A large shower stall was placed in the corner next to a Jacuzzi bath tub.

I continued admiring the design until James cleared his throat.

"Hey, uh… Lily?" James said, breaking my concentration. "I'm going to go to bed. Night!" He departed through the door to his room. I stared after him, entranced by the waft of cologne he left behind, before shaking my head and returning to my own room.

As I prepared for bed, I contemplated my repaired friendship with James. I had treated him terribly, and even though he claimed to understand, I had seen the hurt and confusion in his eyes. I was going to have to try my hardest to make it up to him. James deserved a lot more than I had given him, based on what a good friend he is and was to me.

To be honest, I really wish I had done things differently at the end of last year. Choosing Michael over James had been a huge mistake, and not just because Michael had broken my heart. James just had a way of making me laugh, and I always felt like I mattered when I was around him. The summer had aged him; there was a more serious look in his eyes, and he had shouldered his responsibilities as Head Boy admirably already. I smiled to myself as I thought of his twinkling hazel eyes and unruly black hair. Yes, James Potter was really becoming a wonderful guy, and I had completely ruined my chances with him. No matter how much I wanted him to, he wouldn't ever trust me again, so I would have to get over him. The sooner the better- or at the very least, I would have to make sure I keep any more-than-friendly feelings toward him to myself.

I pulled back the sheets on my huge bed and snuggled down into it, falling into a sleep that was filled with dreams of James.

* * *

_**JAMES' POV**_

I sat curled up in the window seat of my room, staring out over the Quidditch pitch. I could not fall asleep; my head was too busy thinking.

How in the name of Merlin was I supposed to survive a whole year living in the same tower as Lily Evans when it was just the two of us? I would never be able to do it without falling even more in love with her. Just standing in the bathroom with her, her perfume filling the small room with its intoxicating scent, had made me desperately want to kiss her. I had escaped before I could act on the urge, but it worried me. Tonight was only our first night in the tower- we had the entire school year ahead of us.

It was inevitable as well that as we eased into our friendship again, she would fall for another guy. I would again have to endure the hand-holding, the kissing, the embracing, the happiness, the jealousy. It was not something I was looking forward to. Unfortunately, Lily was, next to Selena, the most popular girl in the school. There was no way she would go all of seventh year single, and I would not be the lucky guy who got to be her boyfriend. I groaned angrily and dropped my head against the wall. I would just have to learn to get used to being jealous, the guy who got to watch from the sidelines as Lily found her happiness elsewhere.

So much for seventh year being the best one yet.

* * *

_Author's Note: Sooooo? What did you think? Review? Pleaseee? :)_


	6. A Marauder's Welcome

_Author's Note: Alright, I'm sorry, I lied again. I had told dancergirl7 that this chapter would not be Chapter 5 but Chapter 6, because I was planning on putting a different chapter here. I decided it would be rushing the story a little, so I switched them. Thank you to dancergirl7 for her enthusiasm about the Marauders, and thank you to all who reviewed! _

_Disclaimer: Published author? Nope. Resident of Edinburg? Nope. World famous? Nope. Extremely wealthy? Nope. So obviously I am not JK Rowling, and none of this belongs to me, as much as I wish otherwise._

_**JAMES' POV**_

"-and the number will double each time!"

Remus and I stared at Sirius amused by his excited expression; Peter watched him wearily over his cereal. Sirius bounced happily for a moment, looking expectant, before shaking his hair out of his eyes and sighing.

"So? Are you up for it or what?"

"I dunno, Padfoot, I'm Head Boy now," I told him doubtfully. Sirius groaned.

"You've got to be kidding me! You're a Marauder, first and foremost."

Peter nodded solemnly.

"And no Marauder misses out on the annual first-day-of-school prank! We have to give everyone a traditional Marauders' welcome back!" Peter exclaimed, agreeing enthusiastically with Sirius.

I glanced at Remus, who looked up from his book and shrugged.

"It's up to you, Prongs, but I don't see anything wrong with a prank every once in a while, especially a relatively harmless one like this."

"Then it's settled!" Sirius clapped his hands together. "I've already done the research on the enchantments-"

"Whatever you are planning, Mr. Black, had better not interrupt my class." Professor McGonagall had made her way down the table with their schedules. Sirius grinned.

"Of course not, Professor," he said in an unconvincingly sincere tone as she passed us our schedules.

"And, Mr. Potter, try not harm too many Slytherins," she instructed sternly, but I could've sworn she winked as she moved away.

"Speaking of Slytherins…" Peter gestured to the table nearest the doors, where one Severus Snape was sitting alone.

My face broke out into a smirk.

"Excellent," I crowed happily. "I have the perfect prank for old Snivellus…"

I sat in the back of the Charms classroom, playing hangman with Sirius on a scrap of paper. The period was almost over, and I was playing absolutely no attention to Flitwick's lecture.

"'E'", I guess, watching Sirius place the letter in a spot in the phrase.

"Shhh!" Remus hissed. "It's coming!"

Remus, Peter, Sirius, and I straightened up in our seats and focused on the tiny wizard.

"Alright, class," our tiny professor squeaked, "I know your N.E.W.T.s seem far away, but in reality they approach very quickly. I want you to make a study plan this weekend for homework-"

Quack.

Flitwick paused, looking confused.

"Wha-"

Quack.

I fought the smile that was attempting to creep onto my face. I snuck a glance at Sirius out of the corner of my eye; his face was bright red from the strain of holding in his laughter. Peter was giggling into his hands, and Remus looked politely interested. He was a better actor than us.

A large purple duck stood on the floor next to the pile of books Flitwick was perched on, staring up at the teacher. Flitwick stared back at it for a second before clearing his throat.

"As I was saying, I want that study plan finished for homework-"

Quack.

Two ducks now sat next to his desk, looking at the class unconcernedly. Flitwick stared again before continuing. I glanced again at my friends, who were fighting their laughter even harder now.

"Where was I? Oh, yes- the homework-"

QUACK.

Four ducks.

"- the homework-"

**QUACK**.

Eight ducks.

My classmates looked extremely confused, trying to figure out where the ducks were coming from. Lily turned around in her seat and caught my eye, lips twitching. I winked at her.

"Professor, the homework!" cried a Ravenclaw, Hestia Jones, pointing towards the clock.

Sixteen ducks.

"I- I- I'll give you the homework on Monday!" Flitwick toppled of his stack of books at the appearance of sixteen more ducks.

Selena, Mary, Alice, and I packed up our things quickly and I led the way to the desk where the Marauders sat. They were all half out of their seats in hysterics and gasping for breath. I stopped in front of James.

"I'm assuming this was your idea?" I asked him, hands on hips. I arranged my features into a disapproving expression.

"No- no- Padfoot's!" James said hurriedly, ceasing laughing at once. Sirius glared at him.

"James, I'm kidding!" I cried in exasperation. My friends laughed at the relief on James' features.

"I have to admit that it was a rather clever idea," Selena informed Sirius grudgingly. He grinned and bowed with a flourish.

"Why thank you, Mademoiselle Lena." He kissed her hand and she yanked it out of his grasp, rolling her eyes.

_She needs to admit her feelings for him,_ I thought, shaking my head at Lena's stubbornness. Mary and Alice caught my eye and grinned knowingly; Remus and James gave us strange looks. Sirius was now hugging Lena's knees, begging her to walk to Potions with him. She attempted prying him off of her to no avail.

"Fine! Fine!" She snapped, throwing her hands into the air. He let go with a triumphant whoop; she raced to the door, her long hair swinging behind her.

"Oi! Prongsie!" Sirius called, and the two boys ran after her and hooked their arms through hers, marching off to the dungeon with Lena trapped between them. I felt a pang of jealousy that I quickly stifled as I watched James walk arm and arm with Lena; Sighing, I followed Mary, Remus, and Alice out the door.

Alice departed towards the owlery to write a letter to Frank, her longtime boyfriend who was in Auror Training, and I followed slightly behind Remus and Mary, who seemed to be flirting. I smiled to myself. It was about time they got their act together.

_**PETER'S POV**_

I dragged my feet angrily as I made my way towards the grounds, where my Care of Magical Creatures class took place. Of course they would leave me in the dust, forget about me. They were popular- good-looking, funny, smart, athletic, kind- everything that a girl wanted in a boyfriend and everything that a guy wanted in a friend. And who was I? Plain, boring, average-intelligence, slightly chubby- I was measly Peter Pettigrew. If the other Marauders weren't around, no one gave me a second glance. Hell, my so-called "friends" forgot about me. I was tired of being forgotten; this wasn't the first time. I wanted to be remembered, no longer someone they could easily cast aside and ignore. But how could I make this happen? The Marauders were my only friends at Hogwarts. I had no connections, no way of realizing this dream. I fumed to myself until I walked into something solid.

"Watch were you're going, _Pettigrew_," Snape spat, making to stride off.

"Snape, wait!' I said, suddenly getting an idea. He slowly turned around, his curtains of greasy black hair swinging in front of his sallow face.

"What?" he snapped, glancing around as though waiting for the other Marauders to appear. My vision clouded for a moment- was I not a threat by myself? - but he cleared his throat impatiently.

"Er-" I blinked, momentarily distracted by the halo of shampoos and soaps floating above his head. "I've been thinking about your offer."

He raised his eyebrows, looking down his long, curved nose at me. I took a deep breath.

"I want in."

He stared at me, his cold, calculating eyes searching my face. Finally, he nodded.

"Transfiguration classroom. Nine o'clock. Tonight."

_**LILY'S POV**_

I hate Slughorn.

Well, not really. He's a nice enough guy, if a bit full of himself, and a good professor, even if he does play favorites too much.

He just had to go and make me partners with Sev- I mean, Snape.

Angrily, I moved my things to the side of the desk so he could sit down, taking a little extra time to arrange my books in a neat pile so I could avoid his gaze. He slammed his scales on the desk with unnecessary force, and I glared up at him.

I had to quickly stifle my laughter at the ridiculous sight before me.

Someone had bewitched a bottle of shampoo and two bars of soap to float above his head in circles, like some sort of bizarre halo. He caught my amusement and sneered at me.

"Think it's funny, Evans? I'm sure you find all of Potter's immature pranks _hilarious_ now."

I pushed my hair over my shoulder and ignored his comment, reading the instructions on the blackboard.

"After all, you two must just be so _cozy_ up in your own little tower," he continued, a bitter edge to his voice. "All _alone_, with connected rooms. _Convenient_, I suppose. How much did he have to give you to sleep with him?"

I froze, turning slowly in my seat to face him. I narrowed my eyes, glaring at him.

"I am _not_ sleeping with him," I said icily. How dare he accuse me of such a thing?

"Of course, I forgot. No one wants to sleep with a Mudblood," he said viciously.

"Shut up, _Snivellus_," I hissed. He winced at the use of his nickname. "You're just jealous because I've forgiven James and not you."

"Ha, right. Like I'd be jealous of Potter," he scoffed.

We continued making the potion in a tense silence, being a little more forceful than we needed to be when chopping or crushing ingredients. I watched Snape pick up a glass bottle and pull out a few leaves.

"No, Snape!" I snapped, grabbing his hand as he made to drop them in the cauldron. "Those aren't Flutterby bush leaves! Those are from a Venomous Tentacula and you'll ruin the whole potion."

He gave no reply, simply gazing at my hand on his with a longing expression on his face. Embarrassed, I quickly pushed his hand away from the cauldron and released my hold. He seemed to awaken at this and turned slowly to look at me.

You know," he said thoughtfully, a cruel smile coming over his features, "You really are arrogant, aren't you? You think you know everything, that you're better than everyone else. I can see why Petunia hates you."

I slapped him across the face, leaving a bright red hand print on his cheek. I felt tears coming to my eyes from his quip about Petunia, and before I let him see me cry I snatched up my bag and strode out of the classroom.

_**JAMES' POV**_

I stared at Lily as she slapped Snivellus and rushed out of the room, much to the surprise of the class and Slughorn. Mary, Selena, Sirius, Remus and I exchanged looks, wondering what Snape could possibly have said to her to make her so upset. No matter what Snape did or said, Lily had always been calm and rational with him. Never had she hauled off and slapped him before, and she had certainly not walked out of a class. She had even left half her things behind. I sent an apologetic smile at my partner, who was luckily Mary, before I grabbed Lily's things and hurried after her. As I shut the door I could hear our friends shouting abuse at the Slytherin while Slughorn tried to calm the classroom down.

_Author's Note: Whew! A bit longer than I normally write, but I liked it. What did you all think of their pranks? You'll hear about more of the results in the next chapter, because I felt like this was a good ending point for this one. Review, please? You know you want to! :)_


	7. Operation Deer

_**Author's Note: **__It has been far too long since I've updated this. I'm sorry! Between studying for finals and learning to drive and the last show of my theatre group's seasons and end of the year banquets/parties I just haven't had time. But summer is here, and then I'll be able to update much more often! I hope you enjoy, and thanks to everyone who reviewed! _

_**SELENA'S POV**_

"I bet you can't throw Sirius in the lake," Lily challenged James quietly, contemplating the git's back as he poked Remus' forehead, attempting to get the other boy's attention away from a novel. James snorted and rose, creeping nimbly towards his friend. Alice and I grinned at each other.

"Two Galleons on James," I announced, raising a single eyebrow at the blonde in a challenge. She regarded me haughtily.

"You're on."

The first week of term had gone by rather uneventfully, save for the Marauders' childish but useful prank on the first day of classes. Because of the confusion due to the appearance of ducks every time a teacher tried to give us homework, we had had our first weekend back assignment free. James' prank on Snape, a medley of personal hygiene products floating around his head, had yet to wear off; Snape was getting angrier and angrier about it. I think that's the only reason Lily has been able to cope with his comments to her in Potions. Well, that and James. They were growing closer and closer once again, and no matter how much they both denied it, I knew they both still had feelings for the other.

Speaking of James, I turned my attention back to the boys, where James had successfully seized Sirius and was now attempting to carry him onto the dock. I laughed, watching as James successful stumbled onto the wooden planks.

"LEMME GO, YOU ARSE!" Sirius shouted angrily, pounding James' back.

"No- effing- way!" James retorted, panting. He took a few more shaky steps and heaved Sirius into the water, who flailed wildly and hit the water with a loud _splash._

Mary, Lily and I cheered, laughing gaily as Sirius emerged, sopping wet and cursing. I couldn't help but admire how his white button-down shirt clung to his chest, revealing well-toned muscles. He shook his head like a dog, showering the rest of us with lake water.

"SIRIUS!" Alice shrieked, jumping up and hitting him over the head with her bag. He threw his hands up in defense, backing away slowly. She glared at him once before she huffed and flounced back down onto the ground.

"Hey, Alice…" I smirked, holding out my hand, palm up. She scowled and dug in her bag, thrusting two Galleons at me. Sirius raised his eyebrows but said nothing, retreating to sit with Remus on the sand.

I couldn't help but watch him go, admiring the rippling of his muscles against his shirt as he moved. I tuned out the chatter of my friends, thinking.

Why was it that despite his man-whore reputation and his immaturity I was so attracted to him? I continued to swear to Alice, Mary, and Lily that I had no interest in him whatsoever, but I could tell that they didn't believe me. I think even James and Remus were beginning to catch on; Peter, as always, was thankfully oblivious.

Maybe it's because, despite his usually arrogant demeanor and immature jokes, he could actually be extremely kind. I had seen him defending a Gryffindor first year from a couple of Slytherins who had taken her Gobstones the other day. Maybe it was because he could relate to my feelings and experiences with my pureblood-manic family. Or maybe, the fact that he never paid attention in class and yet got all O's. Maybe it was just…. Him.

"Hellooooooo! Earth to Selena!" Mary said, waving a hand in front of my face. I jumped and blushed, realizing that she, Lily, Alice, and James had noticed who I was staring at.

"Erm…." I said awkwardly, pushing my long hair out of my eyes and looking at them guiltily. They burst out laughing.

"Lena, when are you going to admit that you like him?" Mary asked me exasperatedly.

"I don't!" I snapped at her, looking towards the cloudless Friday afternoon sky for help.

"Len, it's beyond obvious!" Alice said gently. I looked round at Lily and James for support; Lily smiled apologetically and James raised his eyebrows.

"Dammit!" I cried, falling back onto the grass with a thud. Alice patted my head soothingly.

"It's okay, Lena," she informed me. "It's not a big deal."

I sat up again, looking at my friends frantically.

"But it is a big deal!"

"Selena, it's really not," James leaned forward to catch my attention. "He likes you too; I know he'd be thrilled that you feel the same-"

"But that's just it!" I said hysterically. "He doesn't feel the same way I do! He's only interested in me because he thinks I'm attractive and I'm the one girl in the school besides these three who he hasn't hooked up with! I don't want to be another one-night-hook-up-break-up! I will not be one of his conquests! I won't! I won't!"

"Len," Lily said softly, touching my shoulder. I took a deep breath and buried my face in my hands. She rubbed my back gently, trying to calm me.

"Look," James said, his voice tired. "I know Sirius can be a prat about girls, but he hasn't hooked up with one since he started liking you. He really, really likes you, Lena. He's really serious about it, no pun intended."

I raised my head and glared at him, but I felt a spark of hope. Was Sirius really serious about me (pun intended)? It seemed too good to be true, that Hogwarts' infamous player could change his ways after seven years. Well, six years, if what James had said about the other boy's lack of hook ups was true. I shook my head slowly.

"I dunno…"

Mary studied me with her large brown eyes, a line creasing her forehead.

"I think James is right," she informed me, brushing her curls out of her face. "You need to take a chance."

I narrowed my eyes at her, annoyance growing inside me.

"Oh yeah, Mary?" I said coldly through clenched teeth. "And when are you going to practice what you preach and take a chance with Remus?"

She flushed and glanced at him, looking away abruptly as she caught him staring at her.

"I- That's different-"

"Like hell it is!" James cried exasperatedly, throwing his hands in the air.

Alice and Lily glanced at each other.

"Mary, Remus has had a crush on you since fifth year," Lily admitted. "It's about time something happened."

"Honestly." Alice nodded in agreement.

James leaned toward me and Mary, sighing.

"Look, Remus and Sirius are my best mates. They really care about each of you, respectively, and I really think you should give them a chance." He glanced at Remus and back to Mary. "Mary, Moony won't say anything to you because of his "furry little problem," so you'll need to make the first move." She gulped and nodded, looking scared but determined. The tousle-haired boy turned to me. "Len-"

"Nothing will ever happen between Sirius and me unless he starts acting like he actually cares about me, and not like I'm his next conquest," I informed James firmly. "If he wants me to believe he's changed he's got to prove it."

James sighed again and nodded.

"I'll tell him."

"Good," I retorted, flouncing back on the grass to bask in the sun. I exchanged tentative smiles with Mary; I could tell we were both thinking the same thing. We were nervous about how these risks would play out. Would one of us end up heartbroken and the other happy? Would neither of the potential relationships work out? Or would Lily be the only one of us who was single?

Speaking of Lily, I watched James help her up from her seat on the grass, bowing like a gentleman. She giggled and blushed, pushing him gently as they walked side by side to the water's edge, arms brushing. James picked up a small rock from the ground and handed it to her, covering my friend's small hand in his as he demonstrated the correct rock-skipping technique. I cocked my head to the side, thinking.

"Mary, Alice," I said suddenly, propping myself up on my elbow. They did the same, turning to me with questioning expressions. I gestured to the Head Boy and Girl, smirking a little. They followed my gaze.

"I think it's time those two followed their own advice, no?"

My friends nodded eagerly, exchanging mischievous smiles.

"Operation Deer has officially commenced," Mary announced, Alice grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

_**Author's Note:**__ Whew, that was a lot of dialogue. I really like Selena, and I have a lot of back-story on her, so I wanted to get a chance to develop her character a little. It's not my favorite chapter that I've written, but it was necessary. I hope you didn't hate it too much. Anyways, review? Please? :) _


	8. A Furry Little Problem?

_**Author's Note: **__Hey everyone! It feels so good to update this sooner than I have been. Thank you to those of you who reviewed; it really means a lot to me! I hope you enjoy!_

_**JAMES' POV**_

"I still don't see what good that is going to do. Once she finds out what I am, she'll run."

I groaned and slumped back onto the couch. Remus, Peter, Sirius and I were sitting near the fire in the Heads' common room, and we had been arguing for half an hour with Remus over what he should say to Mary.

"Moony, you're being ridiculous," Sirius informed him. "She asked you out a _week_ ago! And Prongs and I have been telling you that she likes you since three weeks before _that, _after James had a discussion with her about it. Man up, mate! You've got to give her an answer."

"Come on, Moony," Peter piped up. "She's obviously _mooning_ over you." He snorted at his own joke.

Remus shot him a glare and shook his head wearily.

"First of all, I don't even understand why she's interested in me. But beyond that, once she finds out I'm a _you-know-what_, she'll never speak to me again."

"Damn it, Remus-"

"Language, James!" We all jumped as Lily's voice reached us from the top of the staircase that led to our rooms.

"Sorry, Lils!" I called, narrowing my eyes at Remus. He shook his head.

"Look James, Sirius, Pete, it's really for the best if I just don't-"

"If you're talking about rejecting my best friend, Remus, you'd better think again." Lily appeared at the foot of the stairs and raised an eyebrow coolly, her arms folded. Her hair was tousled and she wore an old t-shirt and jeans, her bright green eyes tired. It was obvious she had just woken up. Despite her rather disheveled appearance, I thought she looked beautiful. Remus gulped.

"Really, Lily, it's for the best," Remus defended himself. "I have my reasons, and-"

"If you're talking about you being a werewolf, that's not a good enough reason," Lily informed him, lifting my legs off the couch so she could sit down and draping them across her lap. The four of us gaped at her.

"Wha- how did- who told…?" Remus gasped, looking frantically from me to Sirius to Peter and back again. Lily snorted.

"Oh, please. We- Mary, Selena, Alice, and I- figured it out fourth year, thanks to my love of reading textbooks and Mary's crush on you." She rolled her eyes. "Mary's totally fine with it. In fact, the way you handle yourself about it makes her like you even more." She leaned over and placed her hand on his arm, a kind smile crossing her face. "And Remus, none of us think badly of you. We have no problem with you being a werewolf, and we're still your friends. We're here to support you, all of us, and if you ever need anything we'd be more than happy to help."

Remus blushed and ducked his head. My heart swelled as I looked at Lily. It meant so much to Remus, and therefore to me, that she didn't mind his "furry little problem." She really had a heart of gold, and it made me love her that much more.

"Well, maybe…" Remus trailed off hesitantly.

"Come one, Remus," Lily coaxed. "You've got to take a chance. If you don't, you'll let someone really amazing slip through your fingers, and trust me. You'll regret it." She glanced at me and away, and I looked at her in confusion. She couldn't possibly be thinking…

"Moony…?" Sirius asked, watching the other boy with raised eyebrows. Remus seemed to be having an eternal battle.

"Okay, you're right, Lily. I'll go talk to her. Come on, Padfoot, Wormtail!" He leapt up and dragged Sirius and Peter from the room.

Lily laughed, rolling her eyes at our friend's folly. I smiled at her, admiring how beautiful she was once again. The firelight illuminated her fiery hair in a way that made it glow a brilliant red, each strand seeming to radiate light. Her laughing green eyes stood out against her porcelain skin, and she seemed perfectly at ease.

"About time, hm? Remus and Mary are good for each other," She said, her hands fiddling with her hair. She divided it into three pieces and began weaving them together.

"Yeah, finally," I chuckled to myself.

"Merlin's pants!" Lily cried, abandoning her attempt at fixing her hair and throwing her arms up in the air. "I just don't have the patience to do this."

"Do you want help?" I inquired. I tried to convince myself that I was just offering as a friend, and not because I had dreamed for years of being able to touch her hair. Lily turned, surprised.

"Really, James? That would be fantastic!"

I moved my legs off her lap and scooted closer to her.

"Can you turn around?" She turned so her back was to me, crossing her legs Indian-style. I separated the three pieces of her hair and began weaving them together, trying to mimic what she had done. _Left over middle, right over middle. Left over middle, right over middle._ Her hair was soft as silk and her curls smoothed out as I wound them together. I continued until it was too short to go on. But what did I do from here?

"Uh, Lily…?"

"Oh!" She pulled something off her wrist and handed it to me. "Tie it with that." I did what she told me and admired my handiwork. Not bad.

"Thanks, James," Lily said, yawning. "I-I- I'm so tired. I think I'm going to go to bed. Night." She shuffled across the room and disappeared up the stairs.

"Night, Lily."

When I went up to bed a while later, I noticed her door was wide open. Going to shut it, I found her sprawled across her bed, still in her sweats and her comforter at the foot of the bed. It seemed she had fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

I padded quietly into her room and pulled her comforter up around her, tucking it into her body slightly. The ghost of a smile was just barely visible in the moonlight. I brushed a stray piece of hair away from her face. Leaning down, I placed a soft kiss on her forehead before going to the door.

"Goodnight, Lily."

_**MARY'S POV**_

I slumped in a chair in the Gryffindor common room dejectedly, my curly brown hair falling haphazardly into my face. Selena and Alice looked up from their game of Exploding Snap in concern.

"Mary, what's up?" Alice, her brow furrowed.

"Nothing," I mumbled, covering my face with a pillow. It wasn't a lie, exactly. Why had I let them convince me to ask Remus out? A whole week had gone by, and _nothing_. No answer whatsoever. Plus, I'm pretty sure he was avoiding me. Awesome, MacDonald. Make a fool of yourself why don't you. Oh, too late.

Selena sighed and patted my hair.

"Still no answer, hon?" Lena asked gently. I shook my head. Alice clucked her tongue and pulled me into a hug.

"Boys are stupid," the blonde informed me. I put the pillow down and looked at her incredulously.

"Easy for you to say. You _have_ a boyfriend." I rolled my eyes.

"So? He's still stupid," Alice said.

Lena laughed and threw an arm around me.

"Don't worry, Mary. He'll come around."

"How are you so sure?" I asked.

"Intuition." Lena shrugged.

I smiled grudgingly.

"Hey, Mary, could I talk to you for a second?"

We turned to see Remus standing a few feet away with Sirius and Peter, embarrassedly rubbing his neck. Selena winked as if to say, _"What did I tell you?" _I gave her and Alice a panicked look, but they shooed me away.

"I guess," I said, reluctantly following him out of the tower. He led me a little ways down the corridor, away from the Fat Lady.

"So, erm, about what you asked me last week…" he began nervously.

I raised my eyebrows.

"You mean when I asked you out?"

He gulped and nodded. My eyebrows rose further up on my forehead.

"What about it?" I said irritably.

"Well, erm, if you'd still, erm, want to- you don't have to, of course- but, erm, well, I'd love to."

I gaped at him.

"Really?"

Remus smiled tentatively.

"Yeah, if you'd still want to…"

"Of course!" I beamed at him. "Merlin, Remus, you had me so worried. I thought you were going to say no!"

He smiled and shook his head. We turned to go back to the common room, and he reached out and entwined my hand with his. My smiled grew wider, and he grinned back at me.

"So now we've just got to work on Lena and Sirius, huh?" I asked him. He laughed.

"Yeah, Sirius is really trying to show her how much he likes her."

"It's certainly an improvement. I think she's noticing, and she seems to appreciate it."

"That's good. It's only a matter of time then."

I nodded. "And then there's James and Lily…"

"Yeah, they really need to get their act together."

"Well, Lena, Alice, and I had a plan…" I explained it to him, and he smirked.

"Perfect. Now we've just got to get Pete and Sirius in on it."

_**Author's Note:**__ A bit longer than I normally write, and Remus and Mary are together! Yay! Now, I have a question for you- whose point of view (besides Lily's and James', of course) would you like to see in future chapters? We have Selena, Alice, Mary, Sirius, Peter, Remus, and potentially Snape. I am not going to do all of them, so pick up to three. Thanks, and review please! _:)


	9. Not Alone

_**Author's Note:**__ Well hello there! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, and special thanks to those of you who gave input on whose point of view you'd like to see! I'm still looking for input, so if you need a reminder look back to the last chapter's A/N. So far, the results are as follows:_

_Sirius- 2  
Remus- 2  
Selena- 1  
Mary- 1_

_Anyways, a little change I've made. Because I had a moment of stupidity, I gave Alice the last name "Johnson". But that really doesn't sound like a pureblood's name, does it? So I've changed it to Prewett. _

_Also, I'd like to give a little warning. So far, the story has been pretty light and fluffy. Sure, there's been some teenage drama, but that's about it. However, it's wartime. Starting now, please keep that in mind. People are injured in war. People will be injured in this story. People die in war. People will die in this story._

_And on that light-hearted note (please note my use of sarcasm), please enjoy!  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _

_SELENA'S POV_

"Ugh, remind me why I'm taking Transfiguration?" I grumbled to Lily, jabbing at my hand. She laughed as she inspected her own hand, which was perfectly transfigured into a hoof. I glared at her.

"Lena, if you want to be a Healer, you have to take N.E.W.T. level Transfiguration. McGonagall told you that Fifth Year!"

I sighed exasperatedly. "I know. I just can't get this stupid spell right!"

"Here, let me help you," Sirius offered, coming to join us.

"What if you mess up and permanently damage me?"

He let out a bark of laughter, but it didn't reach his eyes; they remained serious (no pun intended) and sincere. "Len, I promise I will never hurt you, or let any harm come to you in any way."

I gulped. Despite his teasing manner, there was something about the way he said it that made my heart beat a mile a minute. "O-okay," I said softly. "Thanks, Sirius."

He smiled kindly and demonstrated the correct motion for the spell. He gently held my hand as he guided me through it. I nodded slightly, getting lost in a recent memory…

"_Selena, like this!" my father shouted, grabbing my hand and forcefully moving it. I cried out in pain, trying to jerk my arm out of his tight grasp._

"_No!" I shrieked. "I won't!"_

_He slapped me, his face contorted in rage. "How do you expect to be a satisfactory servant to the Dark Lord if you can't even use the Cruciatus Curse on a House Elf?"_

_I glared up at him, hate rippling through me as he shook my arm._

"_Do it!" He yelled, forcing me through the motion again. "Do it! Do it before I MAKE you!" He raised his wand threateningly, and I flinched._

"_I-I'm sorry," I told the poor elf, Bowie, who was cowering in a corner. "C-Crucio!" The tiny being writhed in pain for a moment, but it was nowhere near the agony I said seen my father put him through. My eyes filled with tears as the tiny body curled into the fetal position, his head resting heavily on the cold stone floor. I ran to Bowie's side, stroking the elf's head. "I'm so sorry, Bowie."_

"_PATHETIC!" My father roared, throwing a chair against the wall. I let out an involuntary whimper of fright. He turned towards me, a cruel smile spreading across his face. "Perhaps I shall show you again what a powerful spell looks like, hm? Maybe this will make you cooperate. CRUCIO!"_

_I couldn't think, couldn't wrap my mind around what was happening. Just agony, like knives ripping through my body… unbearable pain…. I just wanted it to stop. Needed it to stop. Vaguely, I recognized that I was screaming…_

"Hey, are you okay?" Sirius whispered, his grey eyes full of concern. I nodded, not wanting to say anything. He regarded me doubtfully. "Come on, you can tell me anything."

I stared up at him, registering suddenly that we came from very similar families. He was the one person out of my friends that would truly understand what I had gone through at home. It would be helpful to talk to him, to realize that I'm not alone in my anti-pureblood stance.

"Can we talk?" I asked quietly, ensuring that our friends could not hear. Sirius smiled swiftly, his shaggy black hair falling gracefully into his eyes.

"Professor McGonagall?" Sirius called, his voice booming across the room. Our stern professor turned to him, her thin lips pressing together in resignation at the speaker.

"Yes, Mr. Black?"

"Selena isn't feeling very well," he informed her, wrapping a muscular arm around me. "I think she needs to go to the hospital wing."

McGonagall appraised me silently. Finally, she sighed. "Very well. Mr. Black, you may escort Miss Hathaway to Madame Pomfrey."

Sirius, his arm still around me, led me quickly out of the classroom and up to his dormitory, where we could get a little privacy.

"What's up, Selena?" He sat me down on his four-poster bed.

I gazed up at him with wide eyes, blinking back the tears that had suddenly sprung to my eyes.

"Hey, it's okay," he said soothingly, rubbing my arm. I threw my arms around him, letting a few tears escape. "It's okay. I've got you, love. I've got you."

"Why am I such a failure?" I cried, holding onto him tightly. "Why can't they just accept that I'm different?"

"You are _not_ a failure," Sirius growled, his voice thick with emotion. "You are a very strong person and I admire you. You're so, so brave. And they can't accept it because they've known nothing else for centuries, but that doesn't make it acceptable. They're horrid people, and someday they'll have to pay for all of the terrible things they've done."

I nodded into his chest. Sirius rested his chin on the top of my head, stroking my long hair softly.

Sirius and I sat there for a long time, exchanging stories of our families and drawing support from the knowledge that we had someone else who felt the same way about the blood status mania as we did. And, for the first time since I had been sorted into Gryffindor, I didn't feel quite so alone.

_LILY'S POV_

"Oh just great," I muttered to myself as I finished scanning the letter from my mum I had just received.

James looked at me curiously. "What?"

I tossed the letter aside and slumped back into my chair in the Heads' common room. "Petunia and the whale are spending Christmas at my house, which means I can either go home and be tortured with stories of wedding plans and drills or stay here and be lonely and bored. Woo." I was wallowing in self-pity, but I didn't really care.

James laughed, and I glared at him. "Why are you laughing at me?"

"You look adorable when you pout, you know that?" We both sat in shock for a moment as we took in what he had said. James, flushing, hurried on. "Anyway, why don't you spend Christmas at my place? Sirius and Remus and Pete will be there, and I could invite Selena and Mary and Alice if you want me to. That way you won't be alone on Christmas. Besides, I was going to invite you to the annual Potter Christmas Ball, so you'd be there for at least one night…"

It was my turn to laugh as he trailed off, flushing again as he realized he was rambling. "That would be fantastic, James." He beamed as a thought occurred to me. "Wait, can you really fit all of us? And a ball? As in, formal?"

"Yeah, my house is, er, rather large. Not to be arrogant, it's just a fact… Er, anyway. Yes, a ball, as in formal dresses and dress robes, and dates are required…"

My heart fluttered a little at the mention of dates. Unbidden, a picture of James in neat dress robes and myself in a beautiful, sparkling gown waltzing entered my mind. I shook it out quickly, asking, "Would your parents mind?"

"Not at all! They love meeting my friends, and they like it when the house feels less empty."

"Still though…"

"I could owl them if it makes you feel better," James said hurriedly.

I headed to my room a short while later after James had owled his parents about me and my friends staying for Christmas, exhausted after writing three essays for my classes. I trudged slowly up the stairs, pausing as I heard James speak, his voice barely audible.

"You really do look adorable when you pout, you know."

Smiling widely, I bounded up to bed, falling asleep to dreams filled with balls and dancing and James.

_**Author's Note: **__Selena and Sirius are making progress, as are James and Lily! We've got much more to follow, including another prank, secret meetings, dress shopping, and a ball! Yay! I'd love it very much if you'd review. :) The button is right there below, staring at you. Listen, it's practically saying, "Review! Review!" Well… not really. But you catch my drift. ;)_


	10. Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas

_**Author's Note: **__Hello everyone! I've had this written for a couple of days but didn't get a chance to post it. Thanks to all of you who reviewed, you were very sweet! I think this will be the last chapter before I go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando on Wednesday. I'm wicked excited! I'll be writing on the plane, so I should have a chapter for you when I get back. I hope you all like this one. I'm currently lacking a beta, so I need to solve that problem…_

_And, because I haven't done a disclaimer in a while: I am not J.K. Rowling. None of this is mine (except Selena and the plot, I just play with what she created. _

_SIRIUS' POV_

"Here!" I whispered to Selena, placing the ball in her hand, which was open behind her back. We crept forward slowly, slipping behind a tree. I kept my hand steady as I peered out from behind a branch, keeping my eyes locked on the straight blonde hair and blue jacket that belonged to one Alice Prewett. Selena nudged me and we locked eyes. I nodded slightly. I stepped out from the tree and whipped the ball in my hand forward. The missile exploded on impact, leaving white, powdery snow all over Alice's hair and back. Peter looked the same, courtesy of Selena.

"SIRIUS BLACK!" Alice shrieked, feeling at the back of her head as she turned towards me. "I am going to kill you!"

She and Peter began scooping up snow to make ammunition of their own, and James and Lily, laughing, followed suit. Remus and Mary remained seated on the stone steps, Remus' arm around her. I grabbed a handful of snow and packed it into a ball, handing it to Selena as I ducked a throw from James. I returned it with a snowball of my own, which hit him squarely in the forehead. He shook snow from his eyes and glared at me, bending to get more ammunition. Selena shrieked suddenly and I ducked instinctively.

"What is it?" I asked, alarmed. She seized my hand and yanked me backwards, dragging me at a sprint towards the cover of the Forbidden Forest. "Sele- WOAH!" Turning to look back, I spotted Lily chasing after us, her wand out as she magicked a pile of snowballs to fly towards us. "Come on!" I sped up to match Selena's pace as we raced into the trees.

"Here!" I stumbled as she ducked behind a particularly large oak. I slipped in on the frozen ground, throwing my arms out in an attempt to catch my balance. Selena caught my arm to keep me from falling, and I grabbed her waist to steady myself. We stared at each other for a second before bursting into laughter. Her musical voice rang through the trees, her eyes sparkling with mirth. Her long, dark locks tumbled from her lopsided hat, cheeks flushed from the cold. Butterflies grew in my stomach as I gazed at my beautiful companion. Finally, my eyes travelled down to her lips, which were parted slightly as Selena tried to control her laughter. Subconsciously, my fingers tightened on her waist and I pressed my lips to hers. She kissed me backed, her hand travelling up my arm slowly to touch my face.

"Padfoot? Selena? Where are you?"

"Selena!"

"Sirius!"

"Guys, t-t-this isn't funny…" Peter sounded terrified.

Groaning, I rested my forehead against Selena's, just the tips of our frozen noses touching. She smiled sweetly up at me, a mischievous gleam in her bright blue eyes.

"Shall we?" she asked slyly.

"We shall," I smirked, leaning down to scoop up another handful of snow.

_LILY'S POV_

"-all prefects are responsible for helping to decorate the school for the holidays. That's going to take place this weekend. Also, please remember to post the date of the next Hogsmeade in your common rooms- that's next weekend. And- I think that's it," I said slowly, glancing down at the list I was holding. "Do you have anything to add, James?"

He shook his head. "Nope, that pretty much raps it up. We'll see you all in the Great Hall straight after breakfast tomorrow for decorating."

The prefects immediately began chatting amongst themselves, some groaning about spending the weekend decorating, others speculating about holiday shopping in Hogsmeade the week before break.

"Bye, Lily!" A small, dark haired girl with a heart-shaped face and a Gryffindor tie waved eagerly at me.

"Bye, Emmeline," I smiled. "See you tomorrow." I made my way over to James and Remus who were talking about the upcoming trip.

"You've still got to get something for Mary, don't you?"

Remus nodded. "And are you going to get that special thing for- OW!" He cried, rubbing the arm that James had just punched. "What was that for?" James gave him a significant look and Remus glanced surreptitiously at me. "Oh. Sorry mate."

I was about to ask them what they were talking about when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to face Michael, who was smiling down at me, his neatly combed blonde hair still damp from a swim in the prefects' bathroom.

"Hello, Lilikins."

I cringed inwardly at the old pet name, but I forced myself to smile kindly. "Hello, Michael. How are you?"

"I'm great, actually," he said, his nose crinkling as his smiled widened. He was much too close; he stroked my arm affectionately. "But I'd be even better if you agreed to accompany me to Hogsmeade."

I heard the classroom door slam as a messy head of black hair stalked through it. Confused and worried, I forced my attention back to Michael, eager to follow and find out what was wrong. Taking a step back, I pushed his hand away with a little more force than was strictly necessary.

"Michael, you broke up with me, remember? I don't care if you've suddenly changed your mind; we're done. I'm sorry, but I've moved on. Besides," I said as I strode to the door, "I'm going dress shopping with my friends for James Potter's Christmas Ball."

Chuckling to myself at the dumbfounded state I had left Michael in, I gave the password to the portrait of Merlin ("Excalibur!") and clambered through the entrance into the common room.

"Whew, glad that's over," I stated brightly to James, plopping into an oversized armchair beside the couch. He didn't answer; his jaw was clenched and he stared into the fire with angry eyes. "James…?"

"How could you, Lily?" he snapped suddenly, startling me. He leapt up from his stiff position on the couch, his hazel eyes flashing dangerously. "After all he did to you, you'll still take him back? Have you no self-respect?"

I stared at him, shocked. "This is why you stormed out?"

"Bloody hell, Lily! Of course it is! What did you think was the reason?"

"I thought you were angry at Remus for nearly spilling whatever _special_ present you might be getting in Hogsmeade!"

"Merlin's pants, no! I can't believe you would just start dating him again-"

"I am not dating him!"

James scoffed. "He just asked you to Hogsmeade! I heard him!"

I stood up and placed my hands on my hip, looking calmly into James' livid face. "Just because he asked doesn't mean I said _yes_, James."

He blinked. "What?"

"I turned him down, you prat!" I hit him with a small decorative pillow, the corners of my lips curving upwards slightly at James' sheepish expression. "I told him I wasn't interested and that I was going dress shopping for your party in any case."

James flushed and rubbed his neck embarrassedly. "Oh… er…. I knew that…"

I took his hand, looking up at him seriously. "I know you want to protect me, James, but you can't jump to conclusions like that. Nothing good will ever come out of it. I _can_ look after myself sometimes."

"I know," he smiled a little sadly. "But it's not exactly something that I think of right away. My instinct is to protect you at all times, especially after…" He trailed off. I was startled to him a little teary. "I never want to see you so hurt again. When I saw you crying, I just…" he shook his head. "I can't bear to let that happen again."

I stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek gently. "Thank you," I whispered against his skin. He squeezed my hand quickly before he turned away and grabbed his Herbology book out of his bag.

"What do you say we try to get this essay done tonight, yeah?"

I groaned and took out my own book, settling in for a long night.

"Yes, just like that," I called, checking tinsel off my list. I stood on a table in the middle of the Great Hall, supervising as the prefects put up ornaments, tinsel, and mistletoe. James was supervising the decorating of the rest of the castle- icicles on the banisters, caroling suits of armor, and _more_ mistletoe. "No, Fawcett, don't hang the fairies upside-down!" I shouted wearily. I shook my head wearily.

"Tough day, huh?" Remus asked, standing at the foot of the table. I grimaced and he laughed. "I just thought I should tell you that Snape's gone AWOL."

"Bloody hell!" I cried, searching the room for the greasy black hair and hunched profile of my ex-best friend. "Ugh, I'll be right back. You're in charge, Remus!"

I jumped off the table and hurried to the top of the marble staircase, where James was assisting a fifth year prefect in freeing Mrs. Norris from a suit of armor. "James, I need to talk to you," I muttered urgently when I reached him.

"Sure. I'll be right back, Brown," he told the younger boy before following me a distance away. "What's wrong, Lils?"

"Sev- Snape is missing."

"Damn it," James snapped angrily. "Where is he?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. I didn't even notice; Remus told me."

"Alright, hold on. " He pulled a thick piece of parchment out of his robes and tapped it, muttering "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." I gasped as ink colored the surface, detailing Hogwarts and the grounds. Tiny dots that were labeled with names moved around the folds, and right where James and I were standing were two little dots labeled "James Potter" and "Lily Evans".

"What is that?"

"Map," James answered shortly. "Shows everyone in Hogwarts. Now help me find Snape."

Together we scanned the parchment, searching for the slimy git's name. I squinted my eyes, trying to single out his little dot from the hundreds walking around.

"There!" I cried, pointing to an empty classroom of the fourth floor. "He's with Avery, Mulciber, Regulus, and…. Peter?"

James and I stared at each other in shock before racing together towards the fourth floor.

_**Author's Note:**__ Dun dun DUN. What will Lily and James discover when they get to that classroom? You'll have to keep reading to find out! In two chapters we'll have the trip to Hogsmeade, and then it's Christmas break! Woo! I hope you all enjoyed this one, and please please please review! Thanks, everyone :)_


	11. Aurors, Dates, and Dresses

_**Author's Note:**__ Thank you to everyone who took the time to review; it means a lot to me! Also, thank you to those who pointed out my mistake with posting the last chapter on my other story. I so enjoyed getting to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter last week, it was amazing! I lied in my last author note. I said the trip to Hogsmeade wouldn't be in this chapter, but the next one. But in order to progress the story to where I need it to be, the trip will be in this chapter. I hope you all like this one._

_JAMES' POV_

I dashed through a door pretending to be a wall and up the staircase concealed behind it, dragging Lily by the hand. Peter had never been the brightest wizard, and I knew that he against four Slytherins would not end well. I was determined to come to his rescue before the scumbags could hurt my friend.

We burst through the door to the classroom they were in, wands out. Peter, looking battered and exhausted, had his wand trained on Regulus, who was on the floor. Avery, Mulciber, and Snape watched with cold, appraising eyes, their wands focused lazily on Peter.

"Se- Snape!" Lily shrieked, her green eyes flashing dangerously. "What the devil is going on here?"

"As you can see, Li- Evans," Snape retorted contemptuously, "Pettigrew is cursing Regulus."

I rolled my eyes and stepped further into the room. Peter looked at me, terror in his water eyes. I pointed my wand at Regulus, while Lily pointed hers at Snape, who was in the middle of Mulciber and Avery.

"Come on, Pete," Lily said kindly, her eyes still narrowed at Snape. He scampered towards us, his eyes flickering back towards the group of Slytherins. Mulciber nodded slightly, and I frowned.

"Wha-" I aimed my wand at him, and a cruel smile lit his face.

"NO!" Peter cried, grabbing my arm and forcing it down. Lily and I whipped our heads around to look at him, surprised. "I mean, it's not worth it, Prongs."

"Come on, James, Pete." Lily tossed her hair over her shoulder and began backing out of the room, careful not to turn her back to the Slytherins.

"Lily…" Snape took a step forward, his expression changing from malice to pleading. "Please, can't we just…"

"No." The finality in her tone shocked me as she forced Peter and me out the door. "Get down to the Great Hall, Snape, or I'll report you to Dumbledore."

As we hurried back down to our duties, I turned to Peter.

"Wormtail, what happened back there? Why were you in an unused classroom in the first place?"

"I- erm…" Peter blushed and his eyes darted around as though looking for an escape. "Er…"

Lily arched one eyebrow delicately. "What's up, Pete?"

Taking in his embarrassed expression, a smirk came over my face. "Wormtail, were you meeting a girl?"

"Yes! Yes!" Peter cried. "I was meeting a girl. Then Regulus came in and said some nasty things about Sirius so I cursed him, but Snape and Mulciber and Avery came in, and then you guys showed up."

Lily sighed and shook her head, her curls bouncing from the movement. "They're always up to no good. I can't believe I used to be friends with that arse."

Slightly frightened by her tone, neither Peter nor I said anything. Watching him from the corner of my eye, I couldn't help but feel that my friend was hiding something…

_LILY'S POV_

"Lily."

I groaned and burrowed deeper under my blankets.

"Lily."

I swatted at the hand that was gently shaking me.

"Lily!"

"Goway," I muttered. "This is Lily's sleepy time."

"Lily! Wake up!"

"No."

"Ugh," the voice said. "I can't get her up."

"Let me try," another voice said. I whimpered and put my pillow over my head. "Lils, James and Sirius are about to burst in here with water balloons, and you're wearing a white shirt."

"MERLIN'S PANTS!" I shrieked, sitting bolt upright and clutching my comforter to my chest. "THEY HAD BETTER NOT OR I WILL KILL THEM!"

Selena, Mary, and Alice burst out laughing. I rubbed my eyes blearily as I looked at them; they already had their winter gear on.

"Come on, love," Alice said, throwing a pair of my jeans, a sweater, my coat, gloves and a hat at me. "It's time to go dress shopping!"

"Eurg."

"Aww, come on, sweetie," Selena grinned, patting my knee. "We're meeting the guys for a Butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks in half an hour, so you'd better hurry up.

"I hate you all," I informed them as I rolled out of bed, grateful I took my showers at night rather than in the morning.

I quickly changed and brushed my teeth in the massive bathroom, half listening to my friends' lighthearted chatter as I applied mascara and a little bit of lip balm. After taming my curls and pulling my hat over them, I trudged out of the bathroom to meet my friends.

The walk down to the Three Broomsticks was, as is to be expected, freezing; at least there was no wind. We were desperately looking forward to a nice warm Butterbeer. I led the way inside the crowded establishment (yes, I did just say establishment) and searched for the boys. They were sitting in corner booth near the very back of the room, and as we made our way over to them, I noticed it had been magically expanded. There was no way it had been able to fit eight people the last time I sat there. Wait, not eight- nine?

"FRANK!" Alice squealed, throwing her arms around him enthusiastically. "Ohmigosh, what are you _doing_ here?"

Frank Longbottom beamed at his girlfriend, as he returned her embrace. "I had the day off, so I thought I'd surprise you." He winked at James, who grinned back.

_Did James have something to do with this?_ I wondered.

Auror training suited Frank. His dark brown hair was cropped short, and although there was already a scar on his cheek, it made him more handsome, in a way. It showed that he would do anything to protect the ones he loved- namely, his mother and Alice. His formally lanky body had filled out some, and he had even gotten an Auror trainee jacket that made look very, well, official.

I smiled at my old friend as I took my seat. "Hey, Frank."

"Hey, Lils, Lena, Mary," he smiled back. Sirius brought back a tray of nine Butterbeers and set them on the table in front of us.

After catching up with Frank and giving him the details about Hogwarts' latest gossip (honestly, I don't think that interests him that much, but Alice does), talk turned to the upcoming Potter Christmas Ball.

"-and we just have to match, Frankie, because it would look great in pictures!" Alice cooed, looking up at him adoringly. I love her, but she is so peppy sometimes!

"So, James, are dates required?" Selena asked, her tone slightly mischievous. I frowned at her. What was she up to?

"Um…" James scratched his neck awkwardly. "Well, not required, but my parents' guests and my family would give you funny looks if you didn't have one. It's kind of tradition."

"Great!" Selena said happily. "So, Sirius, will you go with me?"

"Why of course, Len," he said, smirking.

"And Mar, will you go with me?" Remus asked his girlfriend, a slight wolfish grin on his face.

Mary nodded, kissing his cheek. I nearly barfed from all of the cuteness sitting around the table.

"Who are you gonna go with, Pete?" Mary asked, turning to the mousy boy sitting across from her.

"Oh, um. I'm not sure- I mean," he corrected himself at a look from Remus, "I'm going to go with Dorcas Meadows. You know, from Ravenclaw."

"Oh, ugh!" I cried, hitting myself in the forehead. "Now I'm the only one without a date." I folded my arms and slouched against the bench, pouting. I was being immature, but at that moment I didn't really care. James probably had some gorgeous, tall, blonde haired date with long legs, and I'd be all alone. Awesome.

"No you're not, Lils," Sirius said, slinging an arm around me. "James doesn't have a date either! You should go together."

"Oh, that's perfect!" Selena said happily. "Then we'd all have dates."

I glanced at James against my will, who was staring at me with wide eyes.

"Well, erm." He cleared his throat. "I guess, er, since neither of us have dates, we could go together. If you want to, that is."

"Well, I guess that would be okay. So we're not alone, you know." My face was turning scarlet, I could feel it.

"Yeah," James said, his hazel eyes still locked on mine. "Cool."

"Well now that that's settled, let's go SHOPPING!" Alice bounced up and down on her seat. I groaned. "Oh come on, Lily! You've got to look gorgeous now that the hosts' son is your date!"

I groaned again and sank further down in my seat. She was right, but that didn't mean I had to like it.

After we said our goodbyes to the boys, I was dragged against my will to Gladrags Wizard Wear, which had a special Muggle dress section in the back. Because the Potter Christmas Ball was an exclusive, invitation-only event, few Hogwarts students were in the need of attire; we were the only ones in the dress section. Alice flew from rack to rack, pulling off dresses and holding them up to me. She clucked and shook her head and muttered to herself until she had found five that were to her satisfaction. Shoving me towards a dressing room, she waltzed around to look for herself. Mary and Selena followed me with their arms full of their own choices, shaking their heads at our friend's folly.

"She's in her element," Mary commented as she shut herself in one of the tiny rooms.

Wearily, I picked up the first dress Alice had chosen for me. It was a bright blue with a layer of black lace and a low plunging V-neck. I took it off right away. It was entirely too revealing for me. The second was a black strapless dress that was much too form-fitting; I could barely move in it. The third dress was a floor length, silk dress with a halter strap. It was emerald green and had silver beading in the center of the empire waist.

After using magic to do the zipper and the clasp, I turned to the mirror and gasped. It looked as if it had been made for me. It hugged my body in all the right places, and the neckline wasn't so low that it looked trashy. The green made my eyes pop against my freckled skin and didn't clash with my red hair.

_I think this is the first time I'm actually excited about a dress_, I thought to myself, as Alice called, "Pick your favorite dress and then come out to show everyone!"

Giggling to myself, I stepped out of the dressing room, where Alice, Mary and Selena were waiting. Alice had picked an ice-blue dress that was accented with a gold empire waist and golden embroidered flowers. It fell to her knees, and she had already picked out a pair of golden, strappy heels to match. Mary also had a floor length dress with an empire waist, though hers was dark red and made of satin. The top was detailed with small roses that continued to the top of strap that went over one shoulder. Selena had picked the most modern dress out of all of us. It was strapless and electric blue, the fitted bodice opening up to a multi-layered tutu skirt. Each layer was lined with black sparkles, and the last layer was made of black tulle. She had also picked out shoes, but hers were black pumps.

"Guys, you look amazing!" I told them fervently, and they turned to look at me.

Mary's eyes widened. "Lils, you look stunning! That's the perfect dress for you."

I spun around, smiling as the skirt billowed out around me. "You really think so?"

"Yes!" Selena and Mary cried in unison. Alice laughed at them.

"You look great. We're gonna be heartbreakers!" She sang as she bounded back into her dressing room.

I went back into my own to change, smiling goofily at my luck. It was going to be the best ball ever! (Not that I've ever been to a ball… but you know what I mean.) The only thing that could make it better would be if James still had feelings for me….

_Stop it, Lily!_ I chastised myself. _That's over and you know it. Forget it already. You lost your chance._

_But a ball is the perfect place to change that!_ Another part of me argued. _Wearing that magical dress, dancing to a slow song, your head against his chest, and his arms around your waist- it's so romantic!_

_You're off your rocker._

My inner battle continued as I exited the dressing room, but as I walked towards the clerk to pay for my dress, I couldn't help feeling a little bubble of hope growing inside my chest.

_**Author's Note:**__ And there it is! They've got their dresses, and the plan to get James and Lily together unfolds! I'm not terribly great at describing dresses, so if you want a better idea of what they look like, tell me in a review and I'll PM you the links of the dresses that were my inspiration. The ball will be a perfect night of romance… right? You'll have to wait to find out! Please, please review! Please? :)_


	12. An Uninvited Guest

Author's Note: Wow! I think that's the most reviews I've gotten after posting a chapter. Thank you! I'm so grateful to all of you who to the time to review, or added me or my story to your favorite author/ story or author/story alert lists. I really hope you like this chapter. I'm not exactly thrilled with it, but whatever. I know most of the last chapter was told from Lily's point of view, but I think balls are always more fun told from a girl's point of view (especially the getting ready part!) so there you go. P.S. This is gonna be a rather long chapter. A lot needs to happen in this one to set up the next chapter, which I'll be writing straight after this one. That means they'll be up pretty much one after the other.

_LILY'S POV_

I was fit to burst from a combination of nerves and excitement the night of the Potter Christmas Ball. We had arrived at James' house an hour ago from Hogwarts, but Alice insisted that it would take from three in the afternoon until seven (when the ball started) to get all four of us girls ready, so there you are. Give her a room with plenty of mirrors, a wireless, and plenty of beauty products, and Alice was in business.

We started with nail polish first. Alice, typically, had picked colors for all of us from her vast collection. Mary had dark red polish for both her toes and fingers- Alice insisted that the red would look lovely with her black stilettos. (Why anyone would wear stilettos is beyond me. Maybe Alice is rubbing off on her.) Alice had found a pale gold for herself, though where she would get that I have no idea. She insisted I use silver polish despite my protests of Slytherin colors. She claimed I should have thought of that when I bought the dress, given that it had silver beading right on the front. Selena ignored Alice's choice of a plain, shimmery color and chose a blue that exactly matched her dress. Alice was rather huffy after that.

Next was hair and makeup. One of us would sit in a chair while our hair and makeup was being done by the other three. For Mary, Selena chose brown eye shadow and shear pink lip gloss. Alice and I curled her hair and pinned the curls against the back of her head. Selena wanted very drastic make up, so Alice lined her eyes in black with a deep blue shadow, and colored her lips with a bright red. I think she wanted to move as far away from Wizarding tradition as she could. Mary and I used magic to arrange Lena's long hair into beachy waves. I used pale gold shadow on Alice and she used her favorite peach pink lipstick. Selena and Mary used magic to make her layers extra straight and pinned her bangs back with a blue clip. Finally, as much as I had tried to avoid it, it was my turn.

"Ow! Ouch!" I cried, squirming in my chair as Alice and Selena attacked my head.

"Sit still, Lily!" Mary cried, a mascara brush in her hand.

"I'm almost done," Alice snapped through a mouthful of hairpins.

I clenched my teeth and waited for my torture to end.

When they were finally finished, Lena forced me away from the mirror. "Put on your dress first!"

I eased myself into the green silk, fastening the clasp with magic and smoothing away the creases. I slipped on the silver peep-toe heels Mary had help me pick out, tottering around a little bit to get used to walking in them.

"Lils, hurry up!"

"We want to see!"

Huffing, I stepped out of the huge walk-in closet and into the room.

Alice squealed. "Oooooh, you look so pretty! Come and look!"

I stepped in front of the full-sized mirror, my heart pounding in my chest.

I was stunned. Who knew I could look this good? My hair was pulled up into an elegant knot, a few loose curls framing my face. My make-up was less drastic than Selena's, but not exactly simple, either. Silver lined my eyes, drawing attention to the vivid green eyes I hated. My lips were painted red and a hint of blush was swept across my pale, freckled cheeks. A small smile parted my lips. Maybe the optimistic voice inside my head was right. Tonight was the perfect time for romance.

Giggling giddily, my friends and I departed from the room arm and arm, heading for the small library where we would be meeting the boys. When we had first arrived, I had been too nervous and distracted to pay attention the James' house, but house did not adequately describe it. It was huge. I've never seen a place of residence so big, except for maybe when I passed the Royal Palace in London when I was five. The size of the place hit me like a speeding Comet 190, reminding me just how big this ball was.

The boys were waiting for us already, and my heartbeat quickened as I spotted James across the room. While Sirius, Remus, Frank, and Peter each looked handsome in their dress robes, it was James who took my breath away. He was wearing ink green robes nearly the same shade as my dress and a Muggle dress shirt and pants underneath. His jet black hair was as messy as ever, but somehow it didn't make him look any less well put-together. I smiled nervously as he approached.

"You look…. Beautiful, Lils," he said softly, his eyes wide.

I blushed and looked at my feet. "You don't look too bad yourself."

"MY LADY!" Sirius said loudly, grabbing Lena's hand and kneeling with a flourish. He made a big show of kissing her hand and giving her a black rose that he conjured. "At long last I see thy pretty face and dost think that thou lookest magnificent in thy ball gown. It is my dearest hope that-"

"Be serious, please," Selena said, swatting him playfully, though she looked pleased at his compliments.

He feigned a confused and hurt expression. "But I _am_ Sirius! _Siriusly_!"

Remus smacked him on the back of the head. "Shut up, mate. You're being ridiculous."

"And I'm pretty sure Shakespeare is turning in his grave right now after you butchered Elizabethan English," James pointed out.

I stared at him. Pureblood Potter knew Shakespeare?

"Who's Shakepire?" Peter asked, bemused.

"Don't worry about it," Frank told him from where he was sitting with Alice on his lap.

"We should get going," Mary piped up, holding tightly to Remus' hand. "It's almost seven now."

James offered his arm to me with a sweeping bow. "Shall we?" he asked, grinning. I nodded and took his arm, following our friends out of the room and down the hall.

Sirius led us to a huge set of oak double doors where a man and a woman were waiting for us. They appeared to be in their mid-sixties and were very well-dressed, but they looked sickly.

"James, darling, there you are!" the woman said, beaming at him. She was extremely beautiful. Her blue eyes were bright and lively in a face that had just started to age, though her skin seemed to be waxy and had a slight sunken appearance. I frowned. What was wrong with her?

James returned her smile and turned to the rest of us. "For those of you who don't know, this is my mum, Jennifer, and my dad, Alexander."

Mr. Potter smiled at us. "Hello. It's so good to meet you all." He was also extremely good looking, and looked very like James. His untidy hair was graying and thinning slightly, and he also had the same waxy, sunken appearance as his wife.

"Master Potter, Master Potter, sir!" a small voice squeaked. A house elf was tugging on the edge of his robes. "The guests needs to go into the ballroom, sir. 'Tis almost time for Master James and his date's entrance."

"We have an entrance?" I hissed to James, alarmed.

"Unfortunately," he whispered back. "Tradition, you know."

I scowled. I was not a fan of all this tradition nonsense.

"Thank you, Tilly." Mr. Potter turned to my friends. "If you could all go into the ballroom, we'll see you in a few minutes."

Soon, I was alone with James and his parents. His mother beamed at me. "You must be Lily!"

I nodded. "Yes, Mrs. Potter. It's nice to meet you."

"Oh, please call me Jen, dear. It's lovely to finally to meet the girl James has been talking about for seven years. Especially now that you've finally agreed to be his girlfriend!"

I gaped at her. _Girlfriend? _"Er, we're not-"

James grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the oak doors. "It's our turn, Lils."

I let him tug me through the doors, my head reeling. Girlfriend? What was going on?

"Smile," he hissed in my ear as he placed my hand on his arm.

I plastered a smile on my face as we stepped onto the huge staircase. Hundreds of eyes were upon us as another squeaky voice announced, "Master James Potter and his date, Miss Lily Evans."

I concentrated on not tripping over my own feet as I looked straight ahead, over the heads of the gawking masses. After what seemed like an eternity, we made it to the floor and everyone turned their gazes to "Mister Alexander Potter and his wife, Jennifer." The attention off of us, I grabbed James' hand and pulled him out of earshot of everyone else.

"Girlfriend?" I asked quietly, trying to keep my voice even.

He blushed. "Just let me explain, please, Lily?" I nodded once. "My parents had me late in life, so they're not exactly young. My mum been desperate to hear that I'm dating you since the first time I ever spoke your name. My dad, well, he just wants me to be happy, and he knows how much I care about you." My breath caught in my throat. What did that mean? Care _how? _"The thing is, Lily, that they're sick. Really sick. They have the Wizarding equivalent to- cankerous, I think it is-"

"Cancer," I corrected him, my voice trembling slightly from my nerves.

"Yes, cancerous. Anyway, it's called Dementor's Disease, because it literally sucks the life out of you. I don't know how much longer they're going to be alive, and when I told Mum that you were my date, she asked if you were my girlfriend. She had this hopeful look on her face and I- I couldn't say no, Lily!" He looked tortured, his eyes filling with tears. "You can hate me if you want to, but I just… I had to say yes. I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, I-"

"James." I put my hand on his cheek, smiling up at him. "It's alright. I understand, and I'm perfectly happy to play the role of girlfriend while I'm staying here if you like."

His mouth widened into a relieved smile. "Really? Wow, Lily, that would mean so much to me."

I took his hand and entwined my fingers with his. "Let's make this convincing, shall we?"

His smile widened. "Thank you, Lils."

I led him to the center of the room, where Selena, Sirius, Remus, Frank, and Alice were dancing. We joined them, laughing and bouncing to the beat of the band as I ignored their pointed looks at our clasped hands.

"Where's Wormtail?" James asked after a while, when the other boy had not shown up with his date to join our circle.

Sirius shrugged. "Probably off in some closet snogging Dorcas."

I tried to suppress my excitement when the beginning chords of the first slow song of the night were played. James enfolded me in his arms, resting his chin on the top of my head. I leaned my cheek against his chest, trying to resist the urge to look up into his beautiful hazel eyes and confess my feelings for him. It would ruin everything. I just needed to be happy pretending to be his girlfriend for the next week and half. Sighing to myself, I tightened my arms around his neck and reveled in his warm body against mine.

_SIRIUS' POV_

I gazed into Selena's bright blue eyes, returning her smile as we swayed gently on the spot. She was so beautiful. It was strange for me, feeling this strongly for a girl. Normally all I wanted was a quick snog session and I was done with them. Lena, though, was different. My heart was fit to burst with my feelings for her, and it scared me. Not that I would ever admit that. Sirius Black isn't afraid of anything.

I pressed a gentle kiss to the tip of her nose, and she giggled. Merlin, I love it when she does that. Well really, I just love being around her. Or maybe…

"I love you," I whispered in her ear.

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

I nodded, nervous. What if she didn't feel the same way…?

"I love you too!" She kissed me with so much force I was nearly knocked over.

_Yes, _I mused as I returned her kiss,_ I am completely and unequivocally in love with Selena Marie Hathaway._

_LILY'S POV_

I couldn't stand it any longer. I had to peek; see if James was looking at me. Oh Merlin, what if he _was_ looking at me? Would it be because he liked me, or because he wished I wasn't the one dancing with him? What if…

Stop it, Lily! The little voice inside me said. You're being ridiculous. Again. Just look already!

Okay, here goes nothing.

I raised my head and found myself looking into those hazel eyes, which were gazing at me intensely.

I'm not exactly sure what made me do it. Maybe it was the fact that I was supposed to be pretending to be his girlfriend. Maybe it was the look on his face as he told me his parents were dying. Maybe it was just that I couldn't resist James Potter any longer.

I kissed him.

I was kissing James Potter. His lips were soft and warm, and as I moved my mouth against his I felt I could die right now and be perfectly happy. I had dreamed about this moment for so long, and I couldn't believe that everything that had happened, it would happen now…

Oh, Merlin.

What the hell had I just done?

I yanked my mouth of his and covered it with my hands, horrified. "I'm so sorry!" I gasped, taking a step away from him.

He looked as shocked as I felt. Damn, I had messed everything up. I couldn't think, I couldn't breathe. I did the only thing I could remember how to do.

I ran.

I ignored James calling me as I hurried away. I ran through the guests and out the door onto the huge, sprawling lawn covered in snow. I hiked up my dress and kept going, tears falling freely and blurring my vision. I had no idea where I was going, my only thought to get away, get away from the most unintelligent thing I had ever done. I just ran and ran until I ran into something solid.

Wait, something solid?

I instinctively backed up a few paces and peered into the darkness, trying to see what had been in my path.

A cold, cruel voice rang through the eerie silence of the lawn. "Running from someone, Mudblood?"

_**Author's Note:**__ *insert dramatic music here, or a commercial break if this was a television show*_


	13. Once Defied

_From Chapter 11:_

_I just ran and ran until I ran into something solid._

_Wait, something solid?_

_I instinctively backed up a few paces and peered into the darkness, trying to see what had been in my path._

_A cold, cruel voice rang through the eerie silence of the lawn. "Running from someone, Mudblood?"_

I froze, panic seizing me as hooded, masked figures surrounded me. Suddenly, someone grabbed me from behind, running their thin, pale fingers along my cheekbone.

"My, my," the person said, easily identifiable as the one with the cold, cruel voice. "What a pretty Mudblood. What a shame to waste it, hmm?" The masked figures laughed, and I flinched as my captor pressed the tip of my wand to my throat. "What's this? Is the little Mudblood afraid?" More laughing. I sucked in a shaking breath as I tried to calm myself. "Don't worry, Mudblood. You won't go to waste. We're going to put you to good use; we need you to lure a certain James Potter to us." He ran one finger along the side of my face.

"He won't come," I said defiantly. How I prayed that that was true.

"Oh?" My captor released me, and I fell backwards into the snow. He swooped suddenly into my line of sight. Voldemort. "And why wouldn't he? I have it from a very _reliable_ source that he cares for you deeply." Voldemort scoffed, and some of the others, now easily identified as Death Eaters, tittered.

"He doesn't," I informed him, trying to get my wand without raising suspicion. "Not anymore. I messed things up."

"How _cute_. The little Mudblood thinks ickle Jamesie doesn't _love_ her anymore." He let a humorless laugh. "Well, _Lily_," he spoke my name as though it was dirt in his mouth, "My source tells me that he does indeed still love you. And that, my Death Eaters, shall be his downfall. Love is a _weakness_," he snapped, seemingly speaking to one particular Death Eater. "Never forget that."

"Lily!"

I squeezed my eyes shut, my heart constricting in my chest. _Go back, James! Get back inside where it's safe._

"Well, well, well!" Voldemort said, his red eyes turning to look at James. "It seems you were wrong, and he _does_ care."

"Of course I care!" James shouted, hatred burning in his eyes. "Let Lily go."

"I don't think so, Potter," Voldemort said easily. "I have no plans to let her go. She's bait, you see."

James' eyes narrowed. "Bait for what, exactly?"

Voldemort smiled. "We need more purebloods in our ranks, Potter. Join us, and I _might_ let your little Mudblood whore live."

"I'll never become a Death Eater."

Voldemort sighed theatrically. "I thought you might say that. _Crucio!_"

I screamed, writhing on the cold ground as excruciating pain ripped through my body. It had to end… God, Merlin, anyone let it end… I could distantly hear laughter and someone yelling "stop" in the brief break between my screams.

And as suddenly as it had begun, the pain stopped. I curled into a ball, whimpering softly.

James stepped forward, his wand pointed directly at Voldemort's chest. "Do. Not. Hurt. Her."

"Have you changed your mind, Potter? Because we can always have a bit more fun with Lily here. _Cru-_"

"NO!" James shouted, stepping forward. "Stop! Don't hurt her, hurt me instead… I'll join-"

"Oooh, ickle playmates!" One of the Death Eaters, a female, cackled. Her voice was vaguely familiar.

I raised my head slowly as Sirius, Selena, Alice, Mary, Frank, Remus, James' parents, Remus' dad, and a small knot of unfamiliar witches and wizards ran towards us. They all had their wands out.

_No,_ I wanted to tell them. _Take James and get back to safety._ I was too weak to say anything.

Voldemort laughed humorlessly. "What's this? Purebloods planning to fight my Death Eaters? Well now, we can't have that. We'd be more than happy to welcome you into our ranks. Let's see… We have James' parents, do we not? And… Sirius Black! You could join your dear brother in our numbers, Sirius."

Sirius spat on the ground. "I'd rather die."

"Well, that can easily be arranged. Bella?"

The witch who had spoken earlier stepped forward and removed her mask. "Cousin! Fancy seeing you here."

"Bellatrix," Sirius said coldly. "It doesn't surprise me that you're here."

Bellatrix cackled again and raised her wand. "I'll be sure to tell Aunt Walburga that I got rid of you for her. Ava-"

Something flew through the air and hit Bellatrix's wand out of her hand. Selena, who had been holding her heels in her hand, had thrown one at Bellatrix. Her eyes were blazing with fury, and at once, curses and hexes were being cast on all sides. Adrenaline overpowering the weakness I had felt from the Cruciatus curse, I snatched my wand out of my hair and cast a Stunning spell, which caught a Death Eater in the chest. I scooted backward towards my friends as fast as I could, and I was knocked aside as a jet of green light shot past me.

"Are you alright?" James panted as he helped me to my feet. Together we dodged another green burst of light and sent Stunners towards the Death Eaters.

"Fine," I gasped, and that was it for talking.

I wove and ducked the spells that were being hurled at me, trying to take down as many Death Eaters as possible without getting hit. There were people down on both sides. James' mum was injured, as was Remus, Alice, and two of the people I didn't know. A few crumpled heaps near Voldemort marked where Death Eaters had fallen. At the moment, Voldemort had chosen to stay out of the fray, which I think is the only reason we were holding our own. Why he did was beyond me- perhaps he felt that this fight was beneath him.

I screamed as another blast of green light went whizzing past me, and another scream mingled with my own.

"NO!" I had never heard so much pain in Sirius' voice. Glancing back, a sense of numbness filled me. Sirius was kneeling in the snow, sobbing as he shook Selena's lifeless body.

_No, _I thought,_ she can't be dead. This is just a nightmare. She's okay._

I knew, though, that she was not. Sirius leapt to his feet, his face contorted with pain and rage. I seized him around the waist as he sprinted past me towards Bellatrix, who was jumping up and down in celebration.

"No, Sirius!" I shrieked, holding onto him with every bit of my strength. He shoved at my arms, trying to break my grip.

"I'm going to kill her," he said hysterically. "I'm going to kill her!"

"Frank!" I cried, still struggling with Sirius. He hurried over to me, wrapping his bulky arms around Sirius' torso and moving him bodily out of the line of fire.

Tears streaming silently down my cheeks, I rejoined the fray, trying to keep the thought of my dead best friend out of my head.

Another Death Eater dropped with a shout of pain as a gravelly voice said, "DROP YOUR WANDS!" I turned to see a heavily scarred wizard stumping quickly towards us. I recognized him from the _Prophet_- Mad-Eye Moody. A large group of wizards and witches followed him, their wands out and badges gleaming on their chests.

_Aurors, _I thought._ Thank Merlin._

Voldemort hissed, and with a resounding _CRACK_, he and the Death Eaters who were still standing Disapparated.

The Aurors made a quick job of securing the estate and arresting the Death Eaters who remained. Suddenly extremely weary, my knees gave out and I stumbled backwards. Strong arms caught me; I pressed my face into James' chest.

"You're alive," he whispered into my hair as I clung to him. "You're alive. I was so scared…"

"You shouldn't have followed me," I told him softly. "You could have died, too."

"I'm glad I did."

"Sirius," I said suddenly, looking up at James. "Is he…?"

We both turned our gazes to where Mary was hugging him, both of them crying as they looked down at Selena's body. James and I went to join them, and we were soon joined by Remus and Alice, who had been healed by Mrs. Potter (thank Merlin she was a Healer), and Frank, who had given the Aurors a report of what had taken place. I started sobbing into James' shoulder, the reality of the attack fully hitting me as suddenly as one of Tuney's tantrums.

Selena had always been my best friend; we were closer than I was with Mary or Alice. She had been the first friend I made in Gryffindor and she usually came to my house when she had a row with her dad. In many ways, she had made up for the lack of sister-bonding I had with Tuney. I felt like someone had ripped out a piece of my heart, and I couldn't imagine how Sirius felt.

I had come so close to dying, and she had died in my place. It was my fault. My fault for making a mistake and running from it in no particular direction. Why couldn't I have run instead up to the room where I would be staying? Maybe none of this would have happened…

"Guys! Guys! What- what happened?" Peter came running towards us, his black dress robes flapping behind us. His robes were distinctly rumpled and he looked out of breath. His horrified eyes came to rest on Selena. "Merlin…"

"Where were you?" Remus asked, his eyes accusatory.

"Erm…" Peter said, scuffing his shoe awkwardly against the snow. "In a broom closet with Dorcas…"

Sirius glared at him. "If you had cared a bit more about your friends, if you had come and helped us, Selena might still be alive!" he roared.

Peter squeaked and backed away.

"Your fight isn't with Peter, Sirius," Alice whispered thickly, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"We can't fight amongst ourselves," said James forcefully. "We have to trust each other and be there for each other. If we don't, we have nothing."

We stood in silence, watching as a pair of Aurors wrapped Selena's body in a cloak and brought it into the house, where partygoers were pressed up against the large, picture windows.

"Kids, why don't you head on up to bed," Mr. Potter suggested kindly, his thin, gaunt face sad. A gash ran down the length of his jaw.

We trudged slowly up the lawn, James' arm around me, my hand in Mary's, her and Remus' arms around each other, Remus' arm slung over Sirius' shoulder. Alice held Sirius' and Frank's hand on either side of her, and Peter, still wary of Sirius, walked next to Frank, who clapped him on the back and gave him a reassuring smile. We drew strength from each other as we passed under the scrutinizing and curious eyes of James' parents' guests and threw the hallways until we reached a large sitting room.

We filed in and with a flick of her wand, Mary conjured eight squashy sleeping bags and pillows. There was an unspoken agreement that none of us would want to be separated tonight.

Lying down a short while later, James pulled my head onto his chest, gently stroking the hair off my face as tears trickled down my cheeks and onto his t-shirt.

I had a strong feeling that I would not be the only one crying myself to sleep.

_**Author's Note: **__A rather intense chapter. I didn't write an A/N at the beginning because I figured you guys would want to just jump in after the cliff hanger. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I know I told some of you who were glad that Sirius and Selena had gotten together that their happiness would last long- and this is why. Sorry :-/ _

_I'm going to be shameless and beg you for feedback, because this is the first time I've written a chapter like this, and I want to know what I can do better. Please! I beg of you. Any dueling scenes that I write in the future (whether in this story or another that I write) will be much better if I get constructive criticism, so please help me out. Thanks! :)_


	14. The Plan Revealed

_**Author's Note:**__ I'm terrible about updating, I know. I'm sorry… I don't really have an excuse other than writer's block and frustration. Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I know many of you are angry about Selena's death, and I even got a threat to make bad things happen if I didn't bring her back- thanks, Book-Mania-Girl520! ;) – but your constructive criticism helps me so so much and it means the world to me, it really does, so thank you! I'm rather surprised at you all, however. Not one of you asked me if Peter was one of the Death Eaters! He _was_ suspiciously absent from the fight…_

_Anyway, I also have a question for you. The first person to get it right will get a shout out next chapter. In the last chapter, Voldemort says:_

"Love is a weakness," he snapped, seemingly speaking to one particular Death Eater. "Never forget that."

_Can you figure out who he was directing this to?_

_**JAMES' POV**_

I woke up early from a sleep disturbed with nightmares. Most of them involved Lily being tortured over and over while I was forced to watch, and Voldemort turning Selena's body into an Inferius. Blinking blearily as my eyes adjusted to the light filtering through the windows, I smiled sadly down at the girl sleeping on my chest. Lily's face was stained with tears, and her curls fell down her back in disarray. Her small hands clutched at either side of my sleeping bag. I gently pried her fingers apart and lifted her onto her own pillow, stroking her fiery hair softly before sitting up. I shoved my round glasses onto my nose and clambered to my feet, silently slipping out the door.

I padded swiftly down the hallway and trotted down the stairs, winding my way through more hallways until I reached the oak door that led into the kitchen. I hoped a nice cup of tea would calm my churning stomach.

"Master James!" A house elf glad in a red tea towel draped like a toga bowed low to me, her bat-like ears flapping slightly. Her blue eyes made me wince- they were the same shade as Selena's had been. "What can we be getting for you today, sir?"

"Just a cup of tea, please, Winnie."

"Right away, Master James, sir!" she said happily, bowing again. I smiled tiredly at her as I shuffled into the dining room.

I stopped in the doorway for a moment, my heart clenching in my chest. Sirius was already sitting at the table, his head in his hands, and an untouched cup of tea on the mahogany wood. I took the seat across from him.

"Hey, Padfoot," I murmured, trying not to startle him. He raised his head slowly, dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. He, too, bore the unmistakable signs of having cried.

"Hey, Prongs." His voice was weak, tired, and sad. My heart went out to my best friend.

"Are you- are you doing okay?" I asked, hoping he wouldn't get angry.

He shrugged. "Would you be doing okay?" He asked pointedly.

"No," I answered truthfully.

He shook his head slowly. "I just…. I can't believe she's gone, you know? I mean, I'd been chasing her as long as you'd been chasing Lily, and when I finally get to be with her, it's just taken away…"

He trailed off, staring into the depths of his mug. I said nothing, imagining what it would be like to lose Lily.

"I told her I loved her," Sirius said suddenly, his eyes filling with unshed tears. "I told her I loved her, and less than half an hour later, it's all over." He put his face in his hands again, his shoulders shaking. Reaching across the table, I cautiously put my hand on his shoulder. We sat in silence for a few minutes until, wiping his eyes on his sleeve, he regained control of himself. "Sorry," he muttered thickly, sniffling slightly.

"No worries," I said, squeezing his shoulder slightly before letting go.

"So what happened between you and Lily?" he asked, obviously trying to change the subject. "You two were holding hands…"

I related the story of fake relationship to him, explaining how she had agreed to help me and ended up kissing me as we danced. His mouth fell open in shock.

"She kissed you?"

I nodded. "And then she apologized, ran outside, and, well…."

Sirius stiffened for a moment, in which Winnie came bustling into the room. "Your tea, Master James, sir!"

"Thank you, Winnie," I said, taking the mug from her. She bowed and hurried from the room.

Suddenly, Sirius grinned. I stared at him. "Wha-"

"Our plan worked!" He said happily.

I frowned. "What plan?"

"The plan to get you and Lily together."

"We're not together- not really, anyway. Wait, there was a plan?"

He rolled his eyes. "So not the point, Prongs. The point is that even if you aren't _officially_ together, you will be."

"How do you know?"

"Because you both fancy each other, you wiener-jacket!"

"She doesn't fancy me."

"Earth to Prongs, SHE KISSED YOU."

"She was just trying to act the part of my girlfriend-"

"Come off it!"

"What are we talking about?" Remus asked as he and Mary joined us.

"The fact that Lily and James are pretending to date to make his mum and dad happy, and she kissed him last night when she didn't have to, and he _still_ doesn't believe that she fancies him!

Remus and Mary rolled their eyes too. I glared at them.

"James, why are you so against it?" Mary asked, her soft voice exasperated.

"Because we all know that any chance I had with her flew out the window when she agreed to start dating Wiggins again-"

"Merlin James, they didn't actually date again!" said Remus.

"But she still got over me."

"No, she didn't," Mary said impatiently. "She fancies you, James, she told us so. Well, she told me, Alice, and Sele-" she broke off as her voice broke. With a frightened look towards Sirius, whose hands had clenched around his mug, she hurried on. "She said that you couldn't possibly fancy her still after what she did to you and she had tried to get over you but it wasn't working, so she would have to act like she didn't have feelings for you-"

I shook my head adamantly. "You three are just messing with my head."

"The lad doth protest too much, methinks," Mary quipped, her eyes twinkling. I frowned at her. "What? You were all enthusiastic about Shakespeare yesterday," she smirked.

"You know perfectly well why I asked you to introduce me to his work, Mary," I snapped. She giggled, and I chucked my spoon at her.

"James! We do not throw spoons at people," My mum reprimanded from the doorway, levitating plates of pancakes, eggs, sausage, and bacon onto the table. Dad followed with a couple of flagons of pumpkin juice.

I grimaced and took a plate, piling it high with food. I noticed with a slight smile that not even heartbreak could keep Sirius from eating. I was halfway through my generous helping of eggs when the dining room door swung open once more. Frank, Alice, Peter, and Lily trudged through it, still in their dressing gowns and blinking sleep out of their eyes.

Despite my exhaustion and sadness, I couldn't help but feel happier at the sight of Lily. Her tousled red curls bounced as she took the seat next to me, holding her blue dressing gown tightly around her.

"Morning, James," she murmured, a small smile gracing her lips. Her green eyes, like Sirius', were bloodshot and sad as her hand found mine under the table. Remembering what our friends had said earlier, I beamed at her and squeezed her hand.

"Morning, Lils," I said, kissing her full on the mouth. I pulled away and reached for my mug, pausing as I felt nine pairs of shocked eyes on me. I lowered my mug slowly, realizing that half of my friends didn't know the situation; the other half knew but hadn't witnessed it; my parents weren't expecting a public display of affection; and Lily was not expecting that _level_ of PDA. I smiled weakly at them, awkwardly rubbing my neck as I cursed myself for not thinking. That one act would lead to far too many questions.

Oh, bugger.

_**Author's Note:**__ Well, I'm relatively pleased with this chapter, considering. I was having severe writer's block; I knew where I wanted to go with this, but I just couldn't write it. I dunno if that makes sense, but whatever. I would really, really appreciate it if you could take the time to review. Even just a quick sentence saying "I like it" or "I hate it" or something would be lovely. (Not that I like people hating my story, I just want feedback!) When I'm feeling down or frustrated about my writing, reviews really help me, so I'd love it if you could just click that little button and drop me a line! Thanks! :) _


	15. Honesty

_**Author's Note:**__ Thank you to everyone who took the time to review! This chapter is dedicated to _dancergirl7_, _Hunter the son of Sirius_, _bookworm_, and _EdwardAnthonyCullenLover1901_, who all guessed correctly who Voldemort was talking to: Snape! I hope you like this chapter. _

_**Disclaimer:**__ Do I look like J.K. Rowling to you?_

_**LILY'S POV**_

Breakfast was awkward that morning.

Well, I suppose that's to be expected. My best friend just _died_, after all. We were all grieving.

And then there's the fact that James Potter just kissed me.

I'm not really sure what to think. We're pretending to date, but… kissing me in front of everyone is a little over the top, isn't it? The only reason I kissed him last night was because I _actually_ like him, not to play my part convincingly. Does the same hold true for him?

I mentally scolded myself.

_Stupid, Lily,_ the pessimistic side of me said. _Remember how you blew your chances last year?_

_Then why did he kiss you? _The more optimistic side of me pointed out. _And what did he mean by "my dad knows how much I care about you"?_

_Oh shut up. He's playing the part of your boyfriend. He's going to act like it._

_But a kiss in front of everyone is over the top. Holding hands under the table? Fine. Kissing you good morning at the breakfast table? Unnecessary. _

"Er, Lily?"

I snapped out of my daze, looking into James' concerned face.

"Yes, James?"

"Everyone's leaving the table… are you coming?"

"Oh," I said, blushing faintly. "Erm, yeah." I stood up quickly, nearly tipping over my chair in my haste.

James caught it, his trademark half-smile gracing his handsome face. "Come on, Lils," he said, taking my hand and leading me through the kitchen and into the hall. "Everyone is going into the sitting room to play Exploding Snap. Are you game?"

"Actually," I began hesitantly. "I was wondering if I could talk to you. Privately."

James' eyes widened in surprise. "Sure. Why don't we go in here?" He pushed open a door to our left and led me inside. It was a small room; the three walls not attached to the house were built entirely out of windows, and a large, domed window sat in the center of the ceiling. The rug was plush and white, and all of the furniture looked like it had been carved from the trees that lined the estate. In short, it looked like a winter wonderland- only warm.

"Wow," I said, peering around.

"It's charmed so the furniture and color scheme matches the season," James explained, sitting on the sofa. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

I wrung my hands nervously. I was about to put my heart on the line, and it could potentially get broken. Funny how only a year ago I believed James Potter could never break my heart…

"I want to talk about what's been going on," I began. When James looked confused, I plowed on. "Meaning what you meant when you said your dad knows how much you care about me, and why you kissed me at breakfast today."

James turned red and ran his hand through his hair. Another funny thing: that simple action had used to irk me so, and now I found it endearing.

"Er…."

"James, please, just be honest with me."

He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. "Alright."

I perched on the arm of a chair, too anxious to really sit.

"But if I'm going to be honest with you, then you have to do the same, agreed?"

"Okay," I whispered.

"Look, Lils, my dad knows how much I care about you. He knows that I never got over you after everything that happened between us last year, and that I thought I had no chance with you."

My eyes filled with tears. He really still fancied me? "After all I put you through?"

"Always," he said simply.

My heart filled with happiness, and I gave him a watery smile. "You never answered the second question."

"I kissed you this morning because Sirius, Mary, and Remus had just informed me that you still fancied me too, and I got a little carried away," James said sheepishly.

My eyes widened, and I jumped up. "THEY TOLD YOU WHAT?" I stormed towards the door, intending to give my friends a piece of my mind. James laughed and caught my wrist, holding me back. "Let me go," I said, attempting to free my wrist.

"No," he said, still laughing. "We're not done talking."

"Humph," I muttered, pouting.

James took a step closer, watching me with those gorgeous hazel eyes. My breath caught in my throat, and I found my eyes wandering from his eyes to his lips. I was very aware of his cool breath on my face, his hand on my arm, the heat radiating off of his body. It was very difficult for me to breathe.

"Were they telling the truth?" His voice was dangerously quiet. I stared at my feet; I couldn't bear to look at him.

"Yes," I whispered, my heart fluttering in my chest.

He was silent for a moment, and I forced myself to meet his gaze. His eyes were shining as he pulled me against his chest and buried his face in my hair. I wrapped my arms around his neck, leaning into him as he kissed the top of my head.

"I'm so happy," he whispered into my hair.

I leaned back so I could see his face. "Me too."

Cradling my face in his large hands, he gently pressed his lips to mine; my eyelids fluttered shut. It was the sweetest kiss I had ever experienced. He pulled away slowly, and I smiled hugely at him.

"Come on," James said, beaming at me and tucking my shoulders under his arm. "Let's go challenge everyone to a game of Exploding Snap."

"James?" I asked, one final concern gnawing at me.

"Hmm?"

"Isn't this kind of an inappropriate time for this? Selena just died, after all…"

James glanced down at me, frowning. "Lils, I know it's tough right now. We're all hurting. But Selena created a whole plan to get us together. I think she'd be happy."

"I guess…" I said, ducking my head so as to hide the tears that were forming.

"Hey." He spun me around to face him and placed his hand under my chin, lifting my face towards him. My lip trembled slightly. "We need to be here for each other. It's gonna take a lot of support to get through this, especially for you and Sirius, and I'm going to be here for you no matter what, okay?"

"I just can't believe she's gone," I murmured, a single traitorous tear slipping down my cheek. He carefully wiped it away with his thumb and kissed my forehead.

"It's going to be okay, Lils. I promise."

_**Author's Note:**__ They're finally together! I like this chapter a lot. It's a bit shorter than usual but I think it's cute. What do you guys think? Please review… there's a pretty little button just below, and it's calling your name! ;)_


	16. Reckless

_**Author's Note:** Hey all. Sorry this is being posted so late. School just started and I had so much homework the past few weeks (assigned an essay on the first day!), so between that and rehearsals for the fall play I had absolutely no time. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I'm glad you liked last chapter! I hope you like this one as well._

_**JAMES' POV**_

I smiled up at Lily, whose lap my head was currently resting in. Mary and Alice were sitting in a corner, whispering together and shooting us not-so-covert looks. Lily sighed, a frown etched upon her face.

"Turn that frown upside down!" I joked, but her half-smile was forced and her eyes sad. "What's the matter?"

"I have to talk to them," Lily said softly, her long fingers playing absentmindedly with my hair.

"And what's wrong with that?" I asked, glancing at her friends out of the corner of my eye. My vision was extreme blurred since I was not looking out of my glasses/

Lily bit her bottom lip and stared at the blue corduroy of the couch. "I dunno... I guess... I love Mary and Alice," she said, her voice so quiet I could barely hear her. "But this is the kind of ting I would have told Selena first, and, because of my own stupidity, I can't do that." Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears.

I sat up and turned to face her. "Lily, it is not your fault. How were you supposed to know those bastards would show up?"

She did not look at me, fiddling with the clasp of her dressing gown. "If I hadn't gone outside-"

"Merlin, Lily, would you _stop_ blaming yourself? It's bad enough that she's dead without you feeling guilty."

She snapped her head up to look at me. We were both startled by my outburst.

"Lily-" I began, moving to take her hand. She snatched it away and abruptly stood up, her green eyes deadened.

"I'm going for a walk," she said slowly, hurrying to the door.

"Lily-"

She disappeared into the hallway, her red curls whipping out of sight. I groaned and kicked a footstool over.

"ARGH!" I hopped on my good foot, clutching at the sore one. Mary and Alice stared at me reproachfully. "What?"

"Now you've done it, arse," Alice snapped, sweeping out of the room after Lily. I gazed helplessly at Mary.

"What's wrong with _her_?"

Mary sighed and shook her head at me. "Look, James. Lily's hurting a lot right now- as we all are. But she's hurting more than anyone else."

"Sirius-"

"Sirius lost his girlfriend. Lily lost a sister. There's a big difference. I know Sirius really cared about her, but Lena and Lily had been inseparable since our first night at Hogwarts. Sirius really only had that for a month or so."

I frowned, not exactly sure what this had to do with Alice snapping at me. Mary seemed to read my mind.

"James, Alice is just worried about Lily. You had the chance to say something really comforting and show her that you're there for her, but instead you snapped at her." Mary shook her head again, heading for the door. "I know you mean well, James, but Lily's really fragile right now. Please just be careful." She put her hand on my shoulder for a moment before following her friends.

"Bollocks." I kicked the footstool again and opened the sliding door that led to the yard, intending to go flying to clear my head.

I was the world's biggest arse. Lily was finally my girlfriend, and the first chance I had to be there for her I screwed up. Why had I snapped at her? We were all grieving, sure. I was worse than I let on, but that's how I dealt with grief. I internalized it; I never let anyone see me sad or upset. I'd go flying to distract myself, and by the time I reached the ground I was usually so exhausted I'd fall asleep right away.

I grabbed my broom from the shed, mounted it, and kicked off, the cold wind stinging my eyes as I rose higher and higher. I regretted not having retrieved a jacket as my t-shirt sleeved whipped around. I dove abruptly, grinning to myself as I pulled out of it seconds before I hit the ground. I shot upwards again, practicing my Sloth-Grip Roll as I avoided an eagle owl soaring towards the house. Pointing my broom to dive again, I saw Sirius and Remus waving below me. Sorely tempted though I was to climb higher in the air and ignore them, I landed gently on the ground next to them.

Sirius tossed me my Muggle jacket. "Sanity check, mate," he said. "It's bloody cold out here."

I slipped my arms into the sleeves and pulled the collard over my chin, silently thanking Merlin for my luck.

"What happened with Lily just now?" Remus asked, his raised eyebrows accenting the scar running from his ear to his temple.

I scowled. "Nothing."

"Hardly nothing, Prongs, if you're out here flying without a coat," Sirius said wisely. I glared him. "You're my best mate. You're fairly simple to read."

"Fine," I snapped, feeling slightly resentful and not really wanting to explain what a prat I'd been. "We got into an argument. I was being thick. Happy?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Not particularly. We could have guessed that, you know."

"Shut it, Padfoot," Remus said, thwacking him on the back of the head. "Prongs, it doesn't really matter what happened. Just get in there and fix it before you lose her, alright?"

I sighed and shook my head. "She doesn't want to talk to me."

"Who says?" Remus asked skeptically. "You?" When I said nothing, he nodded in satisfaction. "That's what I thought. You're pretty smart, James, but not always when it comes to girls. We just saw her, and she definitely wants to talk to you. I don't fully understand that, by the way, considering this awkward situation you've put yourselves in."

"How is dating awkward?" I asked, before it dawned on me that my mates did not know we were officially together. "Er..." I scratched the back of my neck. "Yeah, we're not exactly pretending to be dating anymore..."

There was a moment of silence in which Remus and Sirius stared at me, and then Sirius whooped, breaking the ice.

"Way to go, Prongsie! Knew you could do it!"

Remus shook his head exasperatedly at him and clapped me on the shoulder. "That's brilliant, Prongs. I told you she'd come round."

I smiled grudgingly, and Sirius punched me on the shoulder.

"So... shall we break the news to Snivellus and ruin his holiday?" he asked, grinning mischievously.

I exchanged glances with Remus.

"Er... That's not really a good idea, Padfoot," Remus said.

"What? Why not?" Sirius looked extremely put-out. "It would be better than any prank we've ever pulled on him!" 

"He would be furious," I informed him, shaking my head.

"So? The whole point is to get him angry! Personally, I hope he tries to hex you as soon as he sees you. A duel over Lily Evans would go down in Hogwarts history."

I flicked my gaze to Remus, who looked as alarmed as I felt.

"Sirius, you do realize he's probably a Death Eater by now, don't you?"

"So what, Moony?" Sirius asked. "We'd just be giving that scum a piece of what he deserves."

"Sirius! Shut up!" I snapped. "We do _not_ need a repeat of what happened last night, alright?"

Sirius narrowed his eyes, glaring at me. I stared determinedly back, waiting for him to come to his senses. He took a deep breath and shut his eyes for a moment, clenching his fists. Suddenly, he sank one of them into my gut, undiluted rage and sorrow etched into his face. I doubled over, clutching my stomach and gasping.

"You shut up."

His voice was dangerously quiet. He spun around and stalked back towards the house. Remus and I stared after him, shocked.

"I think last night had a bigger effect on him than we realized," I gasped, still trying to catch my breath.

Remus nodded. "Is it just me, or is he being almost... reckless?"

_**Author's Note: **There's a snazzy little button right below, and it's willing you to press it. Go on. Press it. _:)


	17. Update

Hello everyone.

I know it's been ridiculously long since I've updated this. It's been killing me that I haven't able to write almost at all because I've been so busy. It's my junior year, you see, so I've got everything from way too much homework to SATs to driver's ed to extracurricular activities to... well, you get the point.

There's also another reason I haven't updated this story. I started a new story, entitled _If Anyone Asks_, about Remus and Tonks. While writing it, it came to my attention that it is much better quality than this or of _Brick by Boring Brick, _and that made me sad.

I want all of my writing to be the best it can possibly be, and while I have so many faithful readers for both this and _Brick by Boring Brick,_ I don't think I deserve them.

So, some good news and bad news.

**The bad news: **I am, regrettably, discontinuing both this and _Brick by Boring Brick_. I'm truly sorry to anyone this disappoints. As much as I would like to continue them, I am honestly too frustrated with myself and my writing to do so (even with my lack of free time). Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story from the beginning, and to everyone who's started reading along the way.

**The good news:** This will not be the last you hear from either of these stories. Sometime in the (hopefully near) future, I am going to rewrite both of them, and fix my writing as well as the plots, because I have issues with those as well. When I revisit them, I hope to return to you the story you have enjoyed, but even better.

So, if you, when the time comes, would like to read the reworked versions, please put me on your Author Alert if you have not already done so.

Finally, I have a plea for you all. Despite _If Anyone Asks_ being much better (in my opinion) than _Brick by Boring Brick_ or _Misguided Ghosts_, I have very few readers. I'd like to ask you to be so kind as to check that out and drop a review, even if you don't plan on continuing to read it or hate Remus/Tonks.

Many thanks once again to all of you. You're all fantastic and I'm really sorry to have come to this decision, but I think it's for the best.

Lots of Love and Gratitude,

-VoldemortIsGoingDown


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